They Call Him Dr McDreamy
by broblovr1
Summary: AU Meredith is a teacher and Derek is a surgeon. They meet at Christina and Burke's wedding. Thanks to a Sqully for the title.
1. They Call Him Dr McDreamy

Disclaimer: I don't own Grey's Anatomy, the characters, or much of anything.

A/N: I wasn't sure about this story when I started. It's my first fic of any kind, but I really wanted to write on about Grey's, so I used another idea that I had – therefore, this story is very A/U but it includes some characters from the show. Addison doesn't exist in this story (but I love her character so no disrespect to her). Also, I have included aspects and things from other people's fic's that I liked, so, don't get mad if you see something similar – its flattery not plagiarism. Oh yea, one more thing, there is no Ellis Grey, and Meredith is not an only child.

Background Info: Meredith is not a surgeon she is a teacher. Derek, and Burke are surgeons. Christina and George are not surgical interns. Izzie is an intern under the OB/GYN at the same hospital as Derek and Burke.

Chapter 1: They Call Him Dr. McDreamy

Christina and Burke were finally married. The room where the ceremony had taken place was beautifully decorated, lots of white and amazing flowers. Christina had taken much more of an interest in the wedding planning than Meredith had thought. She thought that Burke would end up the bride, picking the cake, the flowers, and everything, but since getting engaged, Christina had become softer. The whole wedding was beautiful as well as the reception and everyone was dancing and having a wonderful time. Meredith had been the maid of honor.

"I wish I had brought a date!" George complained. He had been watching all the couples all night long and had been complaining about his lack of a companion.

Izzie sighed, "I told you to ask Carol. You guys have already been out on a few dates, why were you so scared to bring her to a wedding?"

"Because" George whined, "weddings make women think about marriage, I don't want to marry Carol."

Meredith chuckled as she walked over and heard the end of the conversation, "Are you two still talking about this?" Izzie and George both looked at Meredith and said, "Yes" in unison. Meredith walked away still laughing, and wasn't looking where she was going when she ran into someone. "Sorry!" they both said as they looked up each other. Meredith saw him standing there, and after first glance, she couldn't take her eyes off of the man in front of her. "I'm so sorry," he said. "No, my fault," Meredith answered quickly, "I wasn't looking where I was going.

"No harm, no foul," he said, with a smile. Meredith couldn't believe that smile.

After getting a drink and calming herself down after running into another of the wedding guests, Meredith went to track down Christina and find out who exactly the man was. "There's my favorite maid of honor" she heard Christina say as she turned around. "I'm your only maid of honor," Meredith said with a smile. "Yea Yea Yea, I could have picked someone else ya know" Christina joked. "I know, and you never let me forget it, but um, I have a question for you, who is that guy?" Meredith asked pointing to the guy who she had just run into. "Oh, him. That's Derek Shepherd, he's one of Burke's friends from the hospital, a neurosurgeon, why?" "Oh nothing," Meredith replied trying to act nonchalant. "Oh no," Christina said stifling a laugh, "You like him don't you?"

"I just met him Christina, I couldn't like him." Christina glared at Meredith, knowing how fast she fell for guys, "Burke tells me that all the women in the hospital have a crush on him, they call him Dr. McDreamy." "Well thanks for the information, I'm going to get myself a drink" Meredith said as she walked away quickly.

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Read and Review – let me know if you think this story is worth continuing. Thanks!


	2. Nice To Meet You

Disclaimer: I don't own Grey's Anatomy, the characters, or much of anything.

A/N: I wasn't sure about this story when I started. It's my first fic of any kind, but I really wanted to write on about Grey's, so I used another idea that I had – therefore, this story is very A/U but it includes some characters from the show. Addison doesn't exist in this story (but I love her character so no disrespect to her). Also, I have included aspects and things from other people's fic's that I liked, so, don't get mad if you see something similar – its flattery not plagiarism. Oh yea, one more thing, there is no Ellis Grey, and Meredith is not an only child.

Background Info: Meredith is not a surgeon she is a teacher. Derek, and Burke are surgeons. Christina and George are not surgical interns. Izzie is an intern under the OB/GYN at the same hospital as Derek and Burke.

Chapter 2: Nice To Meet You

Meredith hurried away from Christina, knowing that if she stuck around she would be lectured about yet another man with whom she shouldn't get involved with. But Meredith didn't have the same feeling of doom in the pit of her stomach that she had when other relationships began, not that one was beginning tonight. She was optimistic about this new guy who was called Dr. McDreamy. She could definitely see where that name came from. He definitely was dreamy.

Meredith headed over to the bar like she had told Christina she was going to do. "Can I have a glass of champagne please?" she asked the bartender. "Coming right up, ma'am." Meredith leaned up against the bar, as she looked around the room at all the people dancing and having a good time. Burke and Christina were dancing together and looked blissfully happy, something that Meredith never thought she would say or think about her friend. "So we meet again," came a familiar voice next to her. Meredith jumped out of her staring stupor to see the same man she had bumped to earlier in the evening, Derek Shepherd. "I guess we do," Meredith said with a grin, "Again, sorry about stepping on your foot, bumping into you, whatever I did." Derek gave her that smile again, "No problem, but um, I know how you could make it up to me." "Hmm?" Meredith said as she took a sip of the drink that had just been handed to her. "Dance with me?" he said. Meredith laughed, put her drink down on the bar and said, "Gladly." Derek took Meredith's hand and let her out to the dance floor as a slower song began to play. Meredith put one hand in Derek's and the other around his neck, while he placed one arm around her waist, and they began to dance.

_Lying here with you  
Listening to the rain  
Smiling just to see the smile upon your face  
These are the moments I thank God that I'm alive  
These are the moments I'll remember all my life  
I found all I've waited for  
And I could not ask for more_

"So, how do you know Burke?" Meredith asked as they continue dancing. "I'm a surgeon at the same hospital as him. A neurosurgeon actually," Derek said proudly. "Ahh, so you're Mr. Big Shot, huh?" Meredith responded coyly. "Yea, I guess I am," Derek said laughing slightly.

_Looking in your eyes  
Seeing all I need  
Everything you are is everything to me  
These are the moments  
I know heaven must exist  
These are the moments I know all I need is this  
I have all I've waited for  
And I could not ask for more_

"So, Mr. Big Shot, what's your name?" Meredith asked, even though she already knew. "Derek Shepherd, what about you, Ms. I'm The Maid Of Honor?" Meredith smiled, "Damn straight I'm the maid of honor. I'm Meredith Grey."

_I could not ask for more than this time together  
I could not ask for more than this time with you  
Every prayer has been answered  
Every dream I have's come true  
And right here in this moment is right where I'm meant to be  
Here with you here with me_

"So, Meredith Grey," Derek said smartly, "How do you know the happy couple?" "Well, I've been friends with Christina since the 2nd grade. Her mother and my mother were friends, so at a young age we were sort of forced to be friends but as we got older we got really close," Meredith answered. "Well that's very interesting," Derek said nodding. Meredith laughed, "I'd say so." Meredith shifted so that both of her arms were around Derek's neck and both of his were around her waist. Unlike previous first encounters, Meredith felt comfortable with Derek, as if they'd known each other forever.

_These are the moments I thank God that I'm alive  
These are the moments I'll remember all my life  
I've got all I've waited for  
And I could not ask for more_

"Well, it's very nice to meet you Meredith," Derek said. "Same to you, Derek," Meredith said happily.

_I could not ask for more than this time together  
I could not ask for more than this time with you  
Every prayer has been answered  
Every dream I have's come true  
And right here in this moment is right where I'm meant to be  
Here with you here with me_

_I could not ask for more than the love you give me 'Cuz it's all I've waited for  
And I could not ask for more  
I could not ask for more_

Song: "I Could Not Ask For More" by Edwin McCain


	3. Mr Tall and Handsome

Disclaimer: I don't own Grey's Anatomy, the characters, or much of anything.

A/N: I wasn't sure about this story when I started. It's my first fic of any kind, but I really wanted to write on about Grey's, so I used another idea that I had – therefore, this story is very A/U but it includes some characters from the show. Addison doesn't exist in this story (but I love her character so no disrespect to her). Also, I have included aspects and things from other people's fic's that I liked, so, don't get mad if you see something similar – its flattery not plagiarism. Oh yea, one more thing, there is no Ellis Grey, and Meredith is not an only child.

Background Info: Meredith is not a surgeon she is a teacher. Derek, and Burke are surgeons. Christina and George are not surgical interns. Izzie is an intern under the OB/GYN at the same hospital as Derek and Burke.

Chapter 3: Mr. Tall and Handsome

Meredith and Derek finished dancing, and the wedding reception began to wind down. They talked for the little bit of remaining time, Meredith telling Derek that she was a middle school teacher, while Derek made sly comments about it being a good thing that she didn't teach Sex Ed, and about her turning on all the male students who were going through puberty. At the end of the evening Meredith and Derek exchanged information and phone and phone numbers and then went their separate ways, Derek going back to his apartment, and Meredith going back to her house with Izzie and George.

After they had gotten home and changed into more comfortable clothes, they were all sitting around talking about the wedding when Izzie said, "So, Mer, what was up with you and Mr. Tall and Handsome?" Meredith smiled as she remembered calling Derek Mr. Big Shot. "Oh nothing. I just, um, accidentally bumped into him and stepped on his foot and then he, uh, asked me to dance, that's it," she answered just a bit flustered. "You like him," Izzie and George said at the same time. Meredith knew they were right but didn't want to admit to it – she had a history for falling fast, and those relationships never ended well. "I'm going to bed," she said quickly and headed upstairs. As she lay in bed, Meredith thought about dancing and talking with Derek and how comfortable she had felt around him. She was hoping he would be at the brunch the next morning.

The only part about the wedding that Christina was unhappy about was the traditional "Morning After" brunch. Her mother had insisted on having it at her house, with their close friends, and the people who had come from out of town. Meredith wasn't particularly pleased about either, considering that Izzie was unable to come because she was at the hospital, and George had a breakfast date with Carol. The only thing she was looking forward to was seeing Derek. As the morning went on, Meredith mingled with Christina's family, checking the door every 5 minutes to see if Derek had come in. Christina realized what Meredith had been doing and come over to talk her, as Meredith was cleaning up some of the dirty dishes. "He's not coming," Christina said, as she took a sip of orange juice, leaning up against the counter where Meredith was cleaning. "Who?" Meredith said trying to be nonchalant, yet again. "Stop being stupid. McDreamy, he's not coming, he had a surgery this morning," Christina said. "Oh, okay. Well, I'm gonna go home okay?" Meredith said as she dried her hands. "Yea, I'll call you when we go to the Bahamas," Christina answered. "Okay, have fun," Meredith replied, disappointed. She left the house and got in her car, hoping that Derek would call her.


	4. Embarrassing Display Of Flowers

Disclaimer: I don't own Grey's Anatomy, the characters, or much of anything.

A/N: I wasn't sure about this story when I started. It's my first fic of any kind, but I really wanted to write on about Grey's, so I used another idea that I had – therefore, this story is very A/U but it includes some characters from the show. Addison doesn't exist in this story (but I love her character so no disrespect to her). Also, I have included aspects and things from other people's fic's that I liked, so, don't get mad if you see something similar – its flattery not plagiarism. Oh yea, one more thing, there is no Ellis Grey, and Meredith is not an only child.

Background Info: Meredith is not a surgeon she is a teacher. Derek, and Burke are surgeons. Christina and George are not surgical interns. Izzie is an intern under the OB/GYN at the same hospital as Derek and Burke.

Chapter 4: Embarrassing Display Of Flowers

The next day was a Monday, meaning that Meredith had to go to work, and for her that meant going to school. After attending the morning staff meeting, she was heading towards her classroom when she heard one of her co-workers, Anna Leadman, who taught advanced math, calling her. "Mer!" she bellowed. Meredith turned around to see Anna walking towards her. "Good morning to you too Anna," she responded with a chuckle. Anna was always loud and exuberant. "How was the wedding?" Anna asked as she caught up with Meredith. "It was really…nice," Meredith answered, thinking about Derek for the millionth time that morning. As they continued their conversation, and Meredith began to tell Anna about meeting and dancing with Derek, the receptionist in the front office came around the corner, "Meredith, there's a delivery for you in the office," she said with a smile. "Okay I'll be right there," she said as the receptionist, Betty, walked back towards the office. "So tell me more about this Derek guy," Anna asked with extreme curiosity. "Walk and talk," Meredith said as she headed towards the office. She walked in to see a huge display of flowers sitting on the floor. "Oh my god" she said, walking towards the flowers and taking out of the card, not even having to ask who they were from.

_Meredith,_

_I had a great time dancing with you on Saturday and can't stop thinking about you. Dinner tonight?_

_Derek_

Meredith smiled as she read the card. "Who are they from?" Anna asked impatiently for about the 10th time since they had walked into the audience. Meredith hadn't been listening since she saw the flowers. "Um, that guy I told you about," she answered, still smiling, "I've gotta go call him. Talk to you later Anna," Meredith said as she walked back to her classroom carrying the flowers.

Meredith put the flowers on one of the tables in her classroom and took her cell phone out of her purse as she sat down at the desk. She took out the little piece of paper in her purse with Derek's number on it and dialed. "Hello?" came the familiar man's voice on the other end. "Hi, Derek, its uh, Meredith." Derek smiled as he walked through the hospital, thinking that had probably just received his flowers. "Meredith, how are you?" he asked. "Fantastic, considering I have an obnoxiously large and embarrassing display of flowers in my classroom," Meredith answered. She heard Derek laugh on the other end. "You're welcome" he said. "They're wonderful, absolutely beautiful," she told him. "Just like someone else I know," Derek said. Meredith couldn't contain her smile, and was glad that he couldn't see her. "So, about that dinner invitation," she said.

Meredith and Derek made plans to go out to dinner that evening. He would pick her up at her house around 7'oclock. Derek was never more grateful to not have a surgery scheduled.

Read and Review. I don't know if this story is worth continuing, b/c I don't know if people are actually reading it. Let me know! I have an idea about where this story is going to go – if you want more, their date is next.


	5. He's A Real Charmer

A/N: For all of you reading and liking the story – I won't be able to update quite as often because of school, writing my college essay, and sending in applications, but I'll do the best I can. Keep reviewing though; it makes me want to write more!

Chapter 5: He's A Real Charmer

Meredith had a hard time concentrating on teaching that day because she was so excited for her date with Derek. After school, she hurried home and at around 5 o'clock began to get ready. After much deliberation, and absolutely no help from George or Izzie, she finally decided to wear an off the shoulder sweater with a tanktop underneath, jeans, and heels. When she finally finished doing her make-up, hair and getting dressed, it was 10 minutes of seven. Meredith sat in the kitchen with Izzie and was very nervous. Izzie was baking and couldn't help but notice that Meredith was shaking her leg and fidgeting.

"Mer, Relax! You're making me nervous!" Izzie said. "Sorry," Meredith said, "I can't help it!" "You have nothing to worry about. I hear that he's a real charmer," Izzie told her. "Great" Meredith said sarcastically, as she heard the doorbell ring.

Meredith left the kitchen and went to open the door, and there on the other side, holding a bouquet of red roses, and dressed in jeans and a sport jacket, was Derek. Meredith smiled and answered the door. "Hi Derek" Meredith said grinning. "Meredith" he said, "These are for you," and handed her the flowers. "More flowers?" she asked. "Well, I thought since you had some at school, that you needed some for your house too," he said. "Very smart," she said. "I know" he responded. Meredith rolled her eyes and said "Let me just put these in a vase and then we can go." "No hurry," he said, following her into the kitchen. Izzie was still in the kitchen baking. "Hello Dr. Shepherd…more flowers?" she said as she noticed the bouquet of roses. "Why is everyone so opposed to flowers? Flowers are beautiful and they smell good," Derek answered. Izzie laughed as Meredith quickly found a vase and put the roses in them. "Alright, I'm ready to go," Meredith said. "Goodbye Dr. Stevens," Derek said as he followed Meredith out of the kitchen and out the front door.

Meredith and Derek headed out to Derek's car, and he opened the passenger side door for her. "Thank you," she said with a smile and got in. Derek got in the other side, "You look great, Meredith," he said looking at her. "Thank you, you too," Meredith replied. Derek started the car, and pulled away from the curb. "So, where are we going?" Meredith asked. "It's a surprise," Derek said. "Oh, so you're one of those," Meredith said, raising her eyebrows. "One of those? What does that mean?" Derek asked, pretending to be insulted. "Those…surprise people," Meredith said, unable to think of anything else to say. "Well, then, I guess I am," he said, glancing over at her, "I think surprises are fun, they keep life spontaneous."

A/N: So I know I said that their date would be next, but it's really going to be next chapter. I just wanted to keep this part separate because if I included the date the chapter would be wayyyyy too long.


	6. Goodnight

A/N: I really want to thank everyone for their reviews; it makes me want to write more and more and more and procrastinate about doing college stuff more and more and more. I don't know if I'll have more later tonight because of working on my essay, a staff meeting at work, and REDSKINS GAME! As promised, here's the date…

Chapter 6: Goodnight

The ride to the restaurant was about 20 minutes long, and Derek kept Meredith in the dark the whole way there. They had pleasant conversation the whole time, no awkward pauses, which was something Meredith didn't experience quite often. They finally pulled up to the restaurant, and Meredith looked out the window, realizing that it was her favorite Italian restaurant, _Prelibato_. "Oh my gosh, I love this restaurant," Meredith said as Derek took her hand and helped her out of the car. "I know," Derek said, obviously pleased with himself. "But, how?" Meredith was now confused. "I have my ways, because, like you said, I'm one of those," Derek said. Izzie, Meredith thought to herself, making a mental note to thank her when she got home.

They entered the restaurant and Derek walked up to the hostess. "I have a reservation for 2, for Shepherd," he told the woman. "Oh, yes, Dr. Shepherd. You're table is ready, please follow me," she said, grabbing two menus and walking to a table. They were seated a table right by the window where they could look out the window at the water and the ferryboats passing by. They each thanked the waitress as she walked away. "Derek, this is amazing," Meredith said, still in awe of the view. He smiled just because he knew that she was happy. He had never felt like this about anyone this soon. They sat there quietly looking over their menus, but each glancing at each other every few seconds. The waitress came back over, noticing that they had closed their menus. "What can I get for you?" she asked politely. Meredith looked at Derek, expecting him to start. "Ladies first," he said. Meredith grinned at him. "Okay, I'll have the penne pasta sautéed with tomatoes and mushrooms" she said. "And for you sir?" the waitress said, turning to Derek. "I'll have the linguine with the steak and tomatoes on top," he told her. They then ordered a bottle a wine, and the waitress walked away.

Meredith took a sip of her water and looked at Derek, "So," she said, "Tell me about yourself." "Tell you about myself? What do you want to know?" he replied. "I don't know," she said, "Um, you're family, tell me about you're family." "Well," Derek answered, "I have 4 sisters, 3 older, 1 younger. The three older one's all have kids. Lots of kids." "So that means, you have lots of nieces and nephews," Meredith said. "Very good," Derek said. Meredith laughed, "I have a nephew too. I have one brother, Jason, and he has a little boy, and his wife is pregnant again. She's due pretty soon actually. Izzie is their doctor." Meredith couldn't believe how open she was being with Derek, but she had never felt so comfortable around another man as she did around him.

Their dinner came about 20 minutes later, and they continued talking. Meredith still couldn't get over how Derek had gotten such a great table with such a view. Neurosurgeon connection, she figured. They continued to talk about their families, how delicious their food was, and how Meredith had come to be a teacher. They finished their meals and the waitress came to take their plates. "Are you two all done?" she asked. "Yes," Meredith answered, "Everything was so delicious." "I'm glad you enjoyed it," the waitress said, "Would you like to see our dessert menu?" Derek was about to say no, they were full, but Meredith cut him off, "Of course." The waitress walked away with their plates and Derek looked at Meredith. "How can you eat anymore?" he said, "I'm about to burst." "It's dessert, Derek. There's always room for dessert." Derek laughed at her, as the waitress returned with the dessert menu. They ordered a chocolate torte to share. After finishing the cake, Derek paid the bill and they walked out of the restaurant and sat on a bench watching the boats. "I have a thing for ferryboats," Derek said, turning to look at Meredith. "Really?" she said with a smile. They sat there for a while quietly, just enjoying each other's company when Derek realized that Meredith was getting sleepy. "You ready to go?" he asked. "Yup," she said, getting up. They got into the car and continued to talk on the ride home.

They pulled up to the house and Derek walked Meredith up to the door. "Thank you, Derek. That was…great," she couldn't think any other word to describe what a wonderful time she had. "I think so too," he said. "I'll call you, okay?" he said, kissing her on the cheek. "Yea," she said with a hint of sadness in her voice, "Bye." "Bye Meredith," Derek said and began to walk down the path back to his car. Meredith went inside, feeling disappointed that Derek hadn't kissed her. She thought that the night had been going along really well. "How was it?" she heard George yell from the living room, when the doorbell rang again. Meredith sighed and opened the door. "Der…" she couldn't even get his whole name out before his lips were on hers. Meredith's arms snaked around Derek's neck, while one of his hands cupped her face, and the other was around her waist. Before long, their tongues were intertwined, each giving out small moans of please. When they finally came apart for air, all each of them could say was "Goodnight." Derek walked back to his car and Meredith went back inside. She closed the door and leaned her head back against it with a huge grin on her face. "Mer? Who was that? And how was your date?" she heard George yell again. Meredith walked into the living room to see Izzie and George watching a movie and couldn't wait to tell them about how well it had gone.

Read and Review. Do you all like it! Ohh...I'm pretty sure _Prelibato _means delicious in Italian. I thought it would be a good name for a restuarant -- just made it up.


	7. I've Been Thinking About You All Morning

Chapter 7: I've Been Thinking About You All Morning

Meredith loved being a teacher, but today was one of the days that she wished she didn't even have a job. She could barely concentrate on helping her students, due to the fact that she was dwelling on the great date with Derek the previous night. Meredith's cell phone went off throughout the morning as she and Derek exchanged text messages. Derek had called a few times, but Meredith couldn't answer because she had a class, and the conversation she was going to have wasn't for her student's ears. Derek told her over and over again how much fun he had and how he couldn't wait to see her again. Meredith was all smiles throughout the morning, and evening her students took notice. "You're so happy today, Ms. Grey!" said Laura, one of her best students. "I had a really good night last night," Meredith answered as she passed back some test papers.

Finally lunchtime came, and Meredith immediately took the opportunity to call Derek. She told the receptionist that she was going out to get her lunch and would be back by the time class resumed. Meredith went out and got in her car and immediately took out her cell phone and dialed Derek's number. Derek was in the middle of checking on a patient when he heard his cell phone go off. "I'll be back in a little while to check on you again," he told the patient and walked out the room and taking his phone out of his pocket. He smiled when he saw the number on the caller ID. "Hello Ms. Grey," he said, as he sat down behind the desk to fill out some paperwork for his next surgery. "Hey Derek" Meredith said, trying to contain the happiness in her voice. She didn't want Derek to know how much she liked him, but little did she know he liked her just as much. "I've been thinking about you all morning," Derek said. "Yea, you too. The morning went by so slowly. I wish we could have talked earlier," she responded. He agreed, "I enjoyed our text messages though. So, I was going to ask you…" "Yes?" she said. "Well, I have an early surgery tomorrow morning, and I found out that you don't have school tomorrow, so, do you want to go out to lunch?" he asked hopefully. "I'd love to, but how'd you know that I didn't have school?" Meredith asked curiously, thinking it was probably Izzie again. "I know how to use the internet," he said, "I looked up your school schedule." "So you're stalking me?" she said as she started the car and began to drive towards a café to get some lunch. "Well, surgeries are boring, I don't have anything better to do," he said, as seriously as possible. "I have to go get my lunch and go back to school, but I'll call you later okay?" Meredith said, getting out of her car and going in to buy some food. "Looking forward too it," he replied. "Bye Derek," she said. "Bye Meredith. Have a good afternoon." Meredith hung up the phone with a smile on her face, excited about her lunch date the next day.

A/N: I know this chapter is really short, but I just needed some sort of bridge. I'm also distracted by the Redskins/Cowboys game. But, I'm kind of blanking on ideas right now, so if anybody has any, feel free to share!


	8. Chocolate

A/N: No trailer in this story.

Chapter 8: Chocolate

Meredith and Derek had been dating for a few weeks – but with one rule – no sex. Every relationship that Meredith had that began with sex was based on sex. Meredith didn't want that same outcome with Derek because she really liked him.

They had spent all weekend together at Derek's apartment, just hanging out, and being together. Watching movies, eating, playing games, and just enjoying each other's company. Meredith definitely wasn't looking forward to going to school on Monday. After being delayed by Derek kissing her and not letting her out the door, Meredith arrived at school exhausted but happy. She stayed at Derek's apartment every night that week, two by herself because Derek had been called in for emergency surgery. Even though she was disappointed that she couldn't cuddle with him and fall asleep in his arms, she was comfortable to be where he lived, it gave her peace, and she felt safe.

Meredith hadn't seen Derek since Wednesday evening when he had been paged to come into the hospital. Friday morning, she left his apartment, went home quickly to change, and then arrived at school just on time. She walked to her classroom and the door was locked which was very unusual. She went to the office to call a janitor to open to door and when she got back to her classroom, she walked in to see Derek sitting at her desk with a bouquet of flowers and box of chocolates. "What? What are you doing here?" she asked walking over and giving Derek a big hug. "I missed you. And I wanted to make up for not being with you the past two nights," he said. "Chocolate," Derek heard Meredith say as she walked around the desk and pick up the box. "I'm glad to see you too," he said, as he saw Meredith eat a piece, "How can you eat that this early?" he asked, making a face. "It's chocolate," she said, her mouthful. He laughed and walked over wrapping his arms around his waist. She turned around and he kissed her, her arms going around his neck. He started to inch his hand up her shirt when she stopped him. "Derek" she slapped his chest playfully, "We can't do this in my classroom, the students are going to …oohhh," she said as he started kissing her neck. "Derek!" she pulled away from him. "Sorry," he said, not really sounding sorry. "Yea, Yea, Yea" Meredith said. "I'm going to leave," Derek said, "But, my apartment tonight?" Derek raised his eyebrow and Meredith knew exactly what that meant. "I'll be there. What time?" she asked. "I have a surgery at noon, and should probably be out by four, so, how about six?" he suggested. "Ooo, lets go to the store, and get stuff and make dinner," Meredith said, excited. "Whatever you want," he said, kissing her on the cheek, and walking out the door.

The day went by pretty fast, given the fact that she spoke on the phone with Derek whenever they both had a free moment. And when they didn't, he sent her text messages, telling her how he couldn't wait to see her that night. As it got later in the day, Meredith got even more excited about what was to come that evening.

A/N: Okay, so I know it's another short chapter. But, I know what's going to happen next, and I bet you do too lol. I don't know if I'll be able to post again tonight. I wasn't feeling well today and didn't go to school and my parents didn't believe me so I'm not even supposed to be on the computer. Read and Review!


	9. You Care And You Show It

A/N: So the reasons my chapters have been so short is that I'm afraid that I'm going to go into too much detail and make it too long. I'm also still a little insecure about my writing. I promise to try and make them longer.

Chapter 9: You Care And You Show It

Meredith had gotten a message from a nurse that Derek was running late due to complications in surgery and would probably be an extra half an hour. Meredith wasn't at Derek's apartment until she got the message, so she sat down outside of the penthouse door, and took a magazine out of her purse, when she heard a woman's voice "So, you must be Derek's new girlfriend." Meredith looked up to see a tall woman with red hair in a blue knee length skirt, white blouse, and stilettos. "I'm Addison," she said, extending a hand to Meredith. Meredith put the magazine down, stood up and shook Addison's hand, "Meredith." "So, how do you know Derek?" Meredith asked. "Oh, we used to date. We were engaged actually." "Oh. Okay," she answered a little surprised.

Meredith was slightly angry but realized that she had never asked Derek about his previous relationships and had no reason to be mad at him; she hadn't told him about her previous relationships either. "Let me warn you about Derek," Addison said slyly, "First few weeks, he's great, attentive, all that. Then, he spends more and more time at the hospital and then you barely ever see him. And then…" Before Addison could get the rest of the sentence out, Meredith had pushed her up against the wall. "You shut up about Derek. He's kind and sweet and caring. He pays attention to me, and if he has to go into surgery he tells me, and he makes it up to me. So you shut up," Meredith yelled, letting go of her, neither of them realizing that Derek had just gotten off of the elevator. "What the hell is going on?" he asked, slightly peeved. "She attacked me," Addison said, trying to get pity from Derek. As soon as Meredith heard that, she went after her again, but before she could grab her, Derek stopped her. "Meredith!" he said, restraining her. As soon as he felt her relax he turned around to Addison, "Get the hell away from me and stay away from my girlfriend." Although they had been dating for a few weeks that was the first time Derek had referred to Meredith as his girlfriend, and it made Meredith happy to know that she felt the same way he did.

Derek unlocked the apartment door and took Meredith inside. "I'm so sorry Derek," Meredith said. "It's okay. Look, um, what did she tell you?" he asked, a little bit worried. "She said that you were engaged. She also said that after awhile, you'd spend more time at the hospital and not really care about our relationship," Meredith said, praying that it wasn't true because she was starting to have really intense feelings for Derek. "Mer, I promise that's not going to happen. Addison didn't tell you the whole truth. First, I'm really sorry that I didn't tell you about her sooner, but I just couldn't find the right time," he told her. "No, it's fine, I understand," she said, taking a bottle of water out of the fridge. Derek continued to tell her about Addison. "The reason I started spending less time with her was that she cheated on me," he said, talking a deep breath, "I agreed to stay with her, but I just couldn't stand to be around her because every time I saw her, I would picture her having sex with another man. I started spending more and more time at the hospital, and then we finally broke it off." Meredith listened intently, and felt bad for ever being angry with him for not telling her about Addison. She could see that it was painful for him to recall. "I'm sorry," Meredith said, walking over and giving Derek a hug. "You are the total opposite of her, Meredith. You care and you show it. I love that about you." Meredith couldn't help but smile, "Thank you." "Lets go to the store okay?" Derek asked. "Yea," Meredith said, giving him a kiss on a cheek and following him out the door.

A/N: I took the fight scene from the Alex/Meredith fight when Derek walks in and tweaked it a little bit, hope I didn't ruin it. Oh yea, and the reason Addison was there is because she lives in the same building as Derek, but she's not a doctor. I know I promised some good stuff this chapter but if I had included both the fight and the good stuff it would be way too long, so that's coming soon, promise. Just a little something to hopefully keep you all reading.


	10. I Want You

A/N: So I know I said I wouldn't be updating any more tonight, but what can I say? I'm a bit addicted to my own story. The reviews don't help that addiction lol.

Chapter 10: I Want You

Meredith and Derek headed out the to the grocery store. Neither of them really knew what to say in the car on the way so the ten-minute ride to the store was completely silent. They got out of the car and Derek put an arm around Meredith's waist as they walked to the from the parking lot to the entrance. When Meredith felt his arm go around her, she looked up at him and smiled. Derek grabbed a cart and pushed it into the store with Meredith next to him. "So, what'll it be?" he said. Meredith just smiled at him and began to push the cart. "Mer, wait up," he walked as fast as he could trying to catch up with her and figure out which aisle she was going to go down. He found her in the pasta aisle, putting sauce and spaghetti into the cart. "Pasta," she said, "and chicken." She walked away towards the meat counter and ordered some chicken breasts from the butcher. "So, what are we having?" he asked taking the meat from the butcher and stealing the cart back from her. "Pasta, with chicken. Oh, we need something for dessert," she said, taking the cart back and continuing through the store.

Derek continued to chase her around the store as she filled up the cart with all sorts of stuff. After the fight with Addison, he figured she would be more subdued, but clearly that was not the case. By the time they checked out, the cart was completely full with pasta, different kinds of sauces, vegetables, and lots of little desserts from the bakery. "I hope you know how to cook," Meredith said, as Derek handed the cashier his credit card. "Of course I do. You don't?" he asked, kind of amused that she had picked out the meal without the ability to prepare it.

They each carried a few of the bags back to the car and put them in the truck. Derek helped Meredith into her seat, closed the door and went around got in the drivers seat. "All set?" he asked, before they drove away. Meredith nodded and gave Derek a huge smile, which he loved to see. They got back to his building and pulled into the garage. They each grabbed some bags and got into the elevator and it wasn't long before they were all over each other. Their bags were on the floor and Derek had Meredith pressed up against the elevator wall. His hands were on the sides of her head while one of hers was up his shirt and the other was rubbing his back. They shifted so that He was up against the elevator. He was kissing her neck and she was running her hands through his hair when the elevator finally dinged at their floor. They pulled apart, and grabbed the bags walking quickly back to the apartment. Derek put all the perishable food in the refrigerator and the rest was dropped on the floor and quickly forgotten as they started to kiss again. Derek lifted Meredith up and she giggled and wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her to the bedroom. He put her down on the bed and she quickly pulled his shirt off. "A little antsy are we?" he said, standing up and putting his hands on his hips. "Shut up," she said and pulled him down on the bed with her. He kissed her neck and massaged her breasts while she took off his belt and unzipped his pants. She pulled him back up to kiss her lips as he took off her shirt. He pulled away from the kiss and just looked at her. Meredith had never felt so comfortable with someone, as she did that moment. "You're beautiful," he said and continued kissing her. She pushed his pants down and he kicked them off all the way. He undid her pants and pulled them down, and all of a sudden stopped. "What is it?" Meredith asked worried. "You sure you want to do this?" he asked, knowing that she had wanted to put off them sleeping together. "Derek," she said, taking his face in her hands, "I want you…"…….

A/N: So…:-D That was my first attempt at a love scene. What do you think? So, no more tonight. Hopefully tomorrow afternoon after I get home from school I'll be able to update again, but it depends on how much homework I have.


	11. You're My Honey

A/N: I'm home from school again today and I'm in deep…well you know. I have a cold along with a terrible headache and my parents are ready to disown me (well not really.) I won't burden you with anymore of my problems…on with the story!

Chapter 11: You're My Honey

Meredith and Derek lay cuddled together in bed. Meredith's head was resting on Derek's chest and she had one arm draped over him. He had his arm around her and was running his hands through her hair. Neither of them had to say anything to convey how happy and comfortable they were. "Meredith?" Derek whispered, unsure of whether she was asleep or not. "Yea?" she said lifting her head up. "You ready for some food? I don't know about you but I worked up quite an appetite," he said sitting up. "As long as you're cooking it," she said and started to kiss his chest. He groaned slightly, "Mer…if you keep doing that we'll never get to eat." She laughed and stopped kissing him, "Okay Mr. Chef, you go cook." "There are t-shirts and shorts in my top drawer if you want," he kissed her on the top of the head and got up and pulled his pants on. "Cute butt," she said as he walked out of the room still zipping up his pants.

Meredith got up and wrapped the sheet around her and went and opened the top drawer of Derek's dresser. She pulled out a white Mariners t-shirt and a pair of blue plaid boxers and pulled them both on. She walked into the kitchen to see Derek chopping up vegetables. When he heard her walk in he looked up to see her wearing his clothes, "That has got to be the sexiest thing I have ever seen." Meredith struck a pose and then laughed and walked over to the counter where Derek was cooking. She picked up pieces of the veggies and put them in her mouth. "Hey!" he said. "Sorry, I'm hungry," she said, her mouth completely full. He laughed and kissed her on the cheek. Before Meredith could take anymore of the vegetables for herself, Derek gathered them all up and began sautéing them. "So I hope you realize that I'm never going to cook for you," Meredith said sitting down at the table. "Yes, you are, I'm going to teach you," Derek went over to the chair picked Meredith up over his shoulder and sat her on the counter next to the stove. He took another pot out of the cabinet, filled it with water and put it on the stove. "This," he said, turning the stove on, "is called boiling water." She hit on the arm, "I'm not that stupid Derek." She pretended to be insulted and sat there with a pout until he kissed her. "All better?" he asked. "Yep!" she answered enthusiastically.

Derek finished cooking everything as Meredith set the table, occasionally stopping to kiss each other. Dinner was finally served and they sat there eating occasionally feeding each other and kissing. By the end of the meal, Meredith was on Derek's lap, eating whatever was left off of his plate. "Why are you eating my food?" he asked in a whiny voice, "You have some left on your plate." "I already at the good stuff," she said, putting more food into her mouth. "The good stuff? You picked everything out," he said laughing. She just smiled and kissed him. "Thank you for cooking, honey," she said. "Honey?" he asked raising his eyebrows. She just smiled, "You're my honey." Derek laughed at the goofy smile on her face, picked her up and carried her over to the couch, "Want to watch a movie?" "As long as I get to pick," she said. Derek just laughed, "Of course." Meredith went over to the TV and opened up the cabinet full of movies. Derek sat on the couch waiting for her to pick and kept hearing, "Oh my gosh, I love this movie. Oh this one is so funny. Oh, I love this!" She finally picked on, stuck it in the machine and turned on the TV. She walked over and cuddled up next to Derek as the movie started. "So, what are we watching?" he asked, gently stroking her head. "You'll see," she said gleefully.

A/N: Maybe more tonight. Maybe not. Don't know – I feel pretty crappy w/ a cold and all. I just saw another promo for the season premiere and I am so freaking excited! Like, I almost screamed, but then my mom would have known that I was on the computer, which I'm not supposed to be. Only 2 more nights…oh man!


	12. Waking Up Happy

A/N: So, you guys have been so great about reviewing so I figured I owed you another chapter, especially because I probably won't have time to update until Thursday afternoon because I have school and then work tomorrow. Just so you all know how special you are, I'm writing this as I blow dry, straighten my hair, and blow my nose all at the same time. Here ya go…

Chapter 12: Waking Up Happy

Meredith fell asleep in Derek's arms as they watched _How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days_. When the movie was over, Derek lightly nudged Meredith awake. "Mer?" he said quietly. She groaned a little and turned over, eyes still closed. He laughed, "Baby, the movie is over." She sat up, and rubbed her eyes, "Derek, I'm so sorry for falling asleep. We were supposed to spend time together, but I'm worn out from earlier," she said with a devilish smile. He grinned, "I am too. Let's go to bed okay?" She nodded and he picked her up and carried her into the bedroom. He placed her down on the bed and covered her up with the blankets before walking around to the other side and getting in. She immediately snuggled up next to him and they fell asleep together.

The next morning, Meredith woke up to an empty bed. She sat up, a little disoriented at first and finally remembered she was in Derek's apartment, and what had happened the night before. She couldn't help but smile as she got up out of the bed, and walked into the kitchen. She saw Derek standing there in a pair of sweatpants, with loud music on, singing along, using the spatula as a microphone. Meredith stood there trying to keep from laughing, but couldn't help and let out a huge giggle. Derek turned around, wearing an apron, and when he saw her standing there, he dropped the spatula on the floor. Meredith kept laughing, "Don't even try and pretend you weren't doing that." He rolled his eyes and walked over and gave her a hug and kissed the top of her head, "Good morning to you too." "I haven't woken up this happy in such a long time," she told Derek, "and it's all thanks to you." She kissed Derek on the lips and he wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her neck and she started to push his shirt up. Derek lifted his arms so that she could easily take it off, and then lifted her up onto the counter. "I've never had sex in the kitchen," Meredith said in between kisses. Derek lifted Meredith's shirt off, "there's a first for everything." He hopped up on the counter with her, and she slowly untied the strings of his sweatpants. He took them off the rest of the way, and laid Meredith down on the counter, pulling off his boxers that she had been wearing. Derek kissed from her belly button all the way up to her lips, making Meredith groan with impatience. "Derek," she said. He smiled, "Okay," and entered her. He began to thrust into her slowly and then faster and faster. There was something about doing it in the kitchen that excited them both and they came quickly. They lay there on the counter, just looking at each other and occasionally kissing, when Derek heard Meredith's stomach grown. He laughed, "Someone's hungry." "Sorry," she said, "It's your fault. I was hungry last night too, and now this morning." "I'm just that good," he said getting off the counter and helping her down. "Not to mention cocky," she said, pulling the boxers and t-shirt back on. Derek pulled his sweatpants back on and pretended to look insulted, "That hurt, Mer." She just rolled her eyes and walked up to him and kissed him, "All better?" "When you kiss me, Meredith, everything is all better," he said." She just smiled and gave him another kiss. "And what was that for?" he asked. "That line deserved another kiss," she walked over and wrapped her arms around him as he put an omelet on each of their plates. Luckily he had turned the stove down before they had started up on the counter, enough to keep them warm but not burn. He put a piece of toast on each of their plates and put them down on the table. "What to do you want to drink sweetie?" he asked, taking two mugs out of the cabinet. "Coffee," she answered as she began to eat her omelet. Derek poured two cups of coffee and brought them over to the table and sat down at the table next to Meredith.

They finished eating breakfast and just sat there talking. "Do you want to do something tonight?" Derek asked, as he put their plates in the sink. Meredith picked up the coffee mugs and put them in the sink as well, "Can't. Girls night with Christina and Izzie. Sorry! What about tomorrow?" "I have to be at the hospital all day." Meredith pouted and Derek kissed her on the cheek, "How about I pick you up at school on Monday afternoon?" "Then what?" she said seductively. "I think you know," he said laughing. They spent the rest of the day together. They went out to lunch at a little restaurant along the water with outdoor seating, and later that evening Derek drove Meredith back to her house to get ready to go out with her friends. "I'm going to miss you," Meredith said as they got up to the door. Derek chuckled, "It's only going to be a day and a half, Mer." "I know," she whined. "I'll call you whenever I can tomorrow, and then I'll be at school to get you on Monday." "Thank you," she said, and kissed him. "For what?" he asked, curiously. "For a great night, a great day. For making me so happy." Derek smiled, "It makes me happy when you're happy." They kissed and said goodbye, and Meredith went inside to get ready to go out with the girls.

A/N: This is kind of long I guess. I figured you all deserved it for all the reviews and since there probably won't be more until late tomorrow night or even Thursday afternoon. Who knows, maybe I'll write some during study hall and post it before going to work...If you want it, keep reviewing!


	13. He's Derek

A/N: So, again, I know I said no more updates tonight, but I can't sleep because every time I lie down my nose gets more stuffed up.

Chapter 13: He's…Derek

Meredith went inside the house to see Christina and Izzie sitting around in the their sweatpants, eating popcorn. She put her purse down by the door and hung up her jacket. "I thought we were going out," she said walking into the living room. Izzie and Christina both stared at the television and continued to stuff their mouths with snacks, "We thought you bailed on us." Izzie said. Meredith looked at her watch and noticed what time it was. It was 8:00 and she said that she would be there at 6 so they could go out to dinner and then, who knows. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" she said, "I can get ready really fast if you still want to go to Joe's." Izzie turned off the TV, "Okay," and she headed upstairs to get dressed. "What about me?" Christina asked. "Umm," Meredith thought, "You can go home, change, and we'll meet you at the bar in half an hour." "Fine, but you owe me one" Christina said, as she grabbed her keys and walked out the door.

Meredith's cell phone rang as she walked up the stairs to get ready, expecting it to be Derek, but when she looked at the caller ID she realized it was her brother Jason, who she hadn't called in a few days. "Hey Jase," she said as she went into her room. "Meredith, where the hell have you been? I've been calling you for 3 days and you haven't answered," he said, and Meredith could tell that he was worried. Meredith sat down on her bed and began to take off her shoes, "I'm really sorry, Jason. I've just been…busy." He laughed, "Busy? Okay, Mer, what's his name?" "What do you mean what's his name?" Meredith asked, trying to sound innocent, but she knew she was a horrible liar. "Meredith, I'm your big brother. I know you. Whenever you don't call me, there's a reason. Now, I'm assuming it's a guy, so you can either tell me about him, or I'll figure it out myself." "Fine," Meredith said, defeated, "His name is Derek, he's a neurosurgeon at Seattle Grace Hospital." "A neurosurgeon?" Jason, said, inquisitively, "Nice catch, sis." Meredith laughed, "Look, Jason, I'm about to go out with Christina and Izzie, how about you, Melissa and Kyle come over here Monday night for dinner with me and Derek." "Sounds good," he said, "see you then."

Meredith said goodbye to her brother and hung up, and then quickly called Derek. "Hey babe," he answered. "Hi," she said, "I miss you!" Derek couldn't help but smile, "I miss you too, but its only been what, a half an hour?" "That's not why I'm calling," she said, "My brother just called me, and um, you and me, and my brother and his wife and son are all having dinner on Monday night. I hope that's okay with you." Meredith was worried that Derek wouldn't be happy, but he felt quite the opposite. "Of course that's okay sweetie. You go have fun with the girls and I'll talk to you in the morning." "Thanks baby. Bye," Meredith said and hung up. She quickly put on a nice pair of pants and a cami, fixed her hair and make-up and went downstairs.

Izzie and Meredith drove to Joe's and saw Christina sitting at the bar when they walked in. They went in and sat on either side of her, and each ordered a drink. "So," Meredith said, "Derek is meeting my brother, sister-in-law and nephew on Monday." Izzie and Christina both looked at Meredith, "So?" "So?" Meredith repeated, "So, nothing. I'm just, nervous, ya know. My brother has interrogated every boyfriend I've ever had, and, I just, Derek, he's…" she trailed off. "Oh my god," Izzie said, "You're falling for him." Meredith looked at Izzie, "I am not," she said, knowing it was completely lie. "You know, you suck at lying right?" Christina said, as she downed a shot. "So? So what if I am?" she asked, "He's…Derek. He's sweet and kind and sexy, and he's a neurosurgeon so he's obviously successful." "Meredith's in love," Izzie and Christina repeated over and over again in a singsong voice. Meredith knew she couldn't deny it. Even though she had only been with Derek for 3 weeks, she was in love with him.

A/N: What do you all think! Review please! I can't sleep, I need reviews to make me happy! I'm going to try and sleep and if I can't, they'll be more coming.


	14. Thank you

A/N: You all are so lucky that I have a cold. I left school early and called in sick to work so that means…updates! But for that to happen, you must must must review!

Chapter 14: Thank You

Derek left the hospital to go pick up Meredith at school on Monday afternoon. Meredith finished teaching her last class of the day and walked into the office to see Derek sitting in the waiting area reading a magazine. She leaned against the doorway, "Dr. Shepherd." He looked up and smiled, "Ms. Grey." She walked over and sat down in the chair next to him, "Whatcha reading?" He put the magazine down, "There's a really good new restaurant along the water. I'd heard about it and wanted to read the reviews." She smiled, "You gonna take me there?" "I don't know," he said, "Depends if you're good or not." "I'm always good," she said. He rolled his eyes, "You ready to go?" She took his hand and they walked out of the school together and got into his car.

"Derek, I'm really sorry to spring this meeting the family thing on you," Meredith said apologetically, on the ride home. "Babe, it's okay. Besides, it's not your whole family. Just you're brother and his family." "I know," she continued, "but still, we've only been together, for what, 3 ½ weeks? And I'm already asking you to meet my brother. My extremely overprotective, arrogant brother, who don't get me wrong, I love to death, but he has run off practically every boyfriend I've ever had." They drove up to Meredith's house and Derek stopped the car. He took her hand in his, "Meredith, I promise I won't let him run me off, and if he does, I'll take you with me." She smiled, "Thank you."

They walked inside the house together and Meredith sat down at the kitchen table, "We are so screwed" "What are you talking about?" he asked, sitting on the table in front of her. "I have no food in the house. What the hell are we going to make for my brother, his very pregnant wife, and his extremely picky son? This is not the way to make a good first impression." Derek smiled, "Take-out?" "Take-out? No! We can't get take-out. Oh, gosh, we have like 2 hours," she put her head in her hands. Derek couldn't help but laugh. "This is so not funny," she said in a serious voice. "Meredith," he lifted up her chin with his finger, "I promise you it's going to be fine, okay? I'll go to the store and get some stuff, simple but good and something for your nephew. You set the table." She took a deep breath, "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

Derek went to the store and bought a nice bottle of red wine for the non-pregnant members of the family, soda and juice, chicken, potatoes, and a green vegetable. He also got nuggets and french fries for Meredith's nephew, Kyle. While he was gone, Meredith set the table and was finishing up when Derek came in the house with the grocery bags. "Geez, what the hell did you buy? We're having one meal, not a years worth." He laughed, "Not only did I get stuff for dinner, but I got stuff to fill up your fridge so that you won't freak out next time someone comes over for dinner." "Thank you, baby," she said in the sweetest voice ever, "So, what did you get?" Derek began to unpack the grocery bags, "I got some chicken breasts, not as nice as your breasts, but still tasty." She hit on the arm, "Derek! That is the kind of humor that we do not need tonight. My brother does not need or want to hear about my sex life. I think he still thinks I'm a virgin, so absolutely no sex jokes, promise?" "I'll try," he said, sighing as if it would be really hard. "I'm serious Derek!" He turned around, "Meredith, I promise. It's going to be fine, just relax."

Derek made dinner, and finally finished around 6 o'clock. Meredith came into the kitchen, changed into a pair of jeans and a tank top, "Oh my gosh, that smells soooo good." "Thank you," he said, bowing. She laughed, "Can I taste?" He put a forkful on chicken in her mouth. "Mmmm" she said and he kissed her. Meredith one arm around Derek's neck and the other was running through his hair. He wrapped his arms around her waist; one hand roaming to her butt while the other rubbed her back. Meredith was beginning to slide her hand up Derek's shirt when the doorbell rang. "Damn," she said breaking the kiss, "Later. I promise." She kissed him once more and then went to get the door.

Meredith opened the door to see her brother, his wife and nephew at the door, "Hey! Come in!" Kyle, her nephew ran into the house. Meredith bent down in front of him, "How about a hug and a kiss for Auntie Meredith? Huh?" Kyle wrapped his little arms around Meredith, "Thank you sweetheart," she said as he ran into the living to play with the stash of toys that she kept at her house for him. "Hi Jason," Meredith gave her brother a hug. "Mel," she said, "How are you?" She gave Melissa, Jason's wife a hug but was barely able to wrap her arms around her due to her enlarging belly. "Huge, and whale feeling, but other than that great," Melissa said. Derek came into the front of the house. Meredith took Derek's hand, "This is my boyfriend, Derek Shepherd." Derek shook Jason and Melissa's hand. Meredith went into the living room with Kyle, "Hey buddy, there's someone I want you meet okay?" she asked. He nodded his head and she picked him up and carried him back into the front hall. "Kyle, this is my friend, Derek. Derek, this is my nephew Kyle." Derek shook Kyle's little hand, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Kyle.

A/N: I really like this chapter, I don't know why. I'm writing as I watch my season 2 DVD, catching up for tomorrow. EEEEK I'm so excited! **R/R!**


	15. I Have Something To Tell You

A/N: So, did anybody else notice that the alerts aren't working?

Chapter 15: I Have Something To Tell You

Everybody was eating dinner and getting along great. Jason and Melissa were very grateful that Derek had Meredith had thought about Kyle when deciding what to make for dinner. He was sitting at his spot at the table scarfing down the nuggets and fries like there was no tomorrow. "So, Derek," Jason asked, "Meredith tells me you're a neurosurgeon." Meredith sighed, "Oh gosh, here comes the interrogation." Derek grabbed Meredith's hand, "It's okay babe," he said to her, "Yea, I am a neurosurgeon. I'm actually the head of neuro at Seattle Grace." Jason raised his eyebrows, "Impressive." Melissa looked at Jason, "Jase, leave the poor guy alone. It's enough having to meet you're girlfriend's family, but being interrogated is another thing." "I'm sorry," Jason said to Derek, "I'm just really protective of my little sister." Derek smiled, "I completely understand. I have a younger sister too. Whenever she brings boys home, I do the same thing." "See," Jason said, turning to Meredith, "I'm not crazy." "I'm sorry Jase, I just, and I, and Derek, I…" before Meredith could get out her sentence, Derek's pager went off. He groaned and went to the kitchen counter so see what the message was. "It's 911. I have to go. I am so sorry," he said. He leaned over and gave Meredith a kiss, "I'll call you later babe."

Derek left, leaving Meredith with her family. "He seems really great, Meredith," Melissa said, before Jason could get a word in. Meredith smiled, "Thanks. I don't know, we haven't been together that long, but I just, I really like him." "Meredith," Jason said a little annoyed, "Can I talk to you in private?" Meredith rolled her eyes, and reluctantly got up from the table and followed her brother into the living room. "I'm worried about you," he said crossing his arms. She gave Jason a confused look, "Worried? Why the hell are you worried?" "He's a neurosurgeon Meredith. He's handsome. He could get any girl he wanted." Meredith started to get angry, "What does that mean? I'm not good enough for him?" "That's not what I meant," he said, slightly yelling, "He could get any girl he wanted anytime, and what I mean by that is I'm worried that he's going to cheat. He's at the hospital so much that he thinks you won't find out." Meredith screamed "I LOVE HIM! OKAY? I LOVE HIM!" Jason just started at her. Meredith took a deep breath, "I'm sorry for yelling at you Jase, but, it's just, I've never felt this way about somebody. There's just something about him. He's sweet and he takes care of me. He made the dinner tonight because I was so stressed out about you coming over and I was afraid that you were going to run him off." "Have you told him?" Jason asked. "Told him what?" "That you love him," he said.

Meredith sat down on the couch, and Jason sat down next to her. "I'm afraid," she said. "Of what?" Jason asked, putting his arm around his sister. "That he doesn't feel the same way. We haven't even been together for a month. I'm afraid if I tell him it'll scare him off." "Meredith, look at me," Jason said, in a serious tone, "I saw the way that he looked at you, the disappointment on his face when he got the page to leave, and how he kissed you when he left. He loves you." "Thanks Jase," Meredith said, hugging her brother. They were about to go back into the dining room for dessert when Meredith's cell phone rang. She pulled the phone out of her pocket and looked down at her, and then back up at her brother, "It's Derek." "Talk to him," Jason said, patting his sister on the back and walking back into the kitchen. "Hey babe," she said, "What's going on?" Derek was finishing up some paperwork in the hospital, "Everything's fine. It was a false alarm so I'll be home soon." "Okay, I have something to tell you when you get here." "Everything okay?" Derek asked a little worried. "Everything's fine," she said. Meredith was nervous but she knew she had to tell him.

A/N: I know this is short but it's because I don't know how I feel about this chapter. Let me know…I haven't gotten many reviews in the last day; it's making me sad 


	16. I Love You

A/N: Okay, so I'm updating now, and not again tonight. But definitely tomorrow afternoon, because I need something to do while I wait for the show to come on. I have a half-day so I have like 8 hours to fill up. I've already planned my day a little so that it doesn't go by too slow. Anybody have any other ideas of how to waste my time? I was thinking of watching the finale right before the premiere. I'M SO EXCITED! Anyways, on with the story…

Chapter 16: I Love You

Derek was a little worried about what Meredith had to tell him so after he spoke to her he went out to his car and hurried home. He had no idea whether something was wrong or if she just wanted to talk. When he got pulled up in front of her, he noticed that Jason and Melissa's car was gone and figured that they probably had to get Kyle to bed. He was a really good little kid, and he understood why Meredith spoke so fondly of him. He was excited to have met them. It was at that moment, on the drive home, thinking about how welcome he had felt with her family, that he realized that he was in love with her. It frightened him a little because of the fact that they hadn't been together that long. He had really loved Addison but hadn't felt this way about her after being with her for a much longer time, and even then the feeling wasn't this strong. He knew that there was something special about Meredith, and didn't want to ever let that go.

Derek got out of his car and walked into the house to see Meredith curled up on the couch in her PJs watching a movie. Meredith heard him come in, turned off the TV and got up and went and gave him a hug, "Thank you for putting up with my family. I'm really sorry that they gave you the third degree." "No need to apologize baby," he said, returning the hug, "So, what did you want to tell me?" All of a sudden, Meredith tensed up, and Derek noticed. "Mer? What's wrong?" She took a deep breath, "Nothing. I just…let me talk okay?" He nodded his head, a little worried, and she continued to speak.

"Derek, that night that I met you at Christina and Burke's wedding, I felt like the luckiest girl in the world. When we were dancing, I was so happy, happier than I had been in a long time. When I went to the brunch the next day and you weren't there, I was so disappointed, and then, when I didn't hear from you that day, I figured you probably wouldn't call, because you just wanted someone to be with, because it was a wedding and people get lonely at weddings. I thought I was just a stand-in. But then, I got to school the next day and I saw the flowers, and I didn't even have to read the card to know you they were from. And I called you, and just hearing your voice made my heart jump. The date we went on, it was the best first date that I have ever had. And then, you came back and kissed me…"

Derek started to laugh a little bit. "Derek! Stop laughing," she whined. He stopped, "I'm sorry honey, but you're rambling." She smiled, knowing that she was doing it, "Okay, I'm sorry, I'll get to the point."

"Tonight, when my brother was here I was so afraid that he would drive you way. I was afraid that you would think that things were going too fast and would break things off. When you left, my brother took me into the living room and asked me what I was doing, which is when I realized…I love you Derek. I know we've been together for less then a month, but that's how I feel, and you need to know. I love you."

Derek just smiled, and took her head in his hands and kissed her deeply. "I love you too, Meredith," he whispered in her ear after they had pulled away from the kiss. "My turn now okay?" he asked. She nodded and he started to talk.

"First of all, you definitely were not a stand-in. When I saw you at the wedding, I thought you were not only the most beautiful woman there, but also the most beautiful woman I have ever seen." Derek saw that a tear was running down Meredith's cheek and he brushed it away with his thumb and then kissed where the tear had been and continued to speak. "Meredith, nobody could ever scare me away from you. Even you're overprotective brother, who reminds me a lot of myself protecting my little sister. You are definitely worth the protecting, and you are definitely worth the interrogation. Even with that, I felt more comfortable with your family than anyone else who introduced me to their family. As I was driving home, I was thinking about that, and I want to be a part of that. I love you too Meredith."

Meredith smiled and just hugged Derek, "Thank goodness," she said under her breath. "What?" he asked. "I was so worried that I would freak you out. Derek, I've never felt this way about anyone before, even if I was with them for a much longer time. I was afraid that you didn't feel the same way." Derek smiled, "I know the feeling, sweetheart." He kissed her passionately and picked her up and carried her upstairs to her bedroom.

A/N: So I love this chapter too. But, where are my reviews? Only like 3 in the past day? What's up with that? I'm having fun writing this and I hope you all are enjoying reading it.


	17. BREAK

BREAK IN THE STORY:

So, no updates today…

OMG THAT WAS THE BEST SHOW I HAVE EVER SEEN. WHEN HE SAID HE LOVED HER, I WAS LIKE SCREAMING. I'M SO HAPPPYYY! I thought it was hilarious George and Der going through the lockers and taking out the food. And…oh my gosh the whole thing! So worth waiting for!

Anyways…Love you soonish!


	18. What If

A/N: Oh my gosh, so sorry that I haven't updated! Today is the Jewish New Year so I'm not supposed to be doing this but I'm doing homework too and my mom said I could use the computer. Hope I don't, I don't know, curse myself or something. Ohh…when I did the I love you thing in that chapter, totally wasn't thinking about the premiere. Kinda weird huh? I'm writing this while I rewatch, again, the premiere. Anyways, here we go…

Chapter 18: What If

2 months later…Beginning of December…

Meredith and Derek were very much in love and very happy. Things could be frustrating at times because they argued over stupid things, but always made up…and that made for good sex. Meredith didn't see Derek as much as she wanted, but she accepted it because surgery was his job, it's what he loved (besides her), and what he was good at. Not just good at, great.

Meredith had moved into Derek's penthouse officially. She had practically been living with him before but now it was for real. One night at dinner, they were sitting at the table just enjoying their meal and having a conversation when Derek said, "Meredith, I have a question for you?" Meredith didn't think much of it and just continued eating, "Hmm?" Derek laughed as he watched her shovel more food into her mouth, "So, I've met your brother and his wife, and your nephew, so, um, how would you feel about coming to Maine with me and meeting my family?" Meredith dropped her fork, "Seriously?" Derek smiled, "Seriously." Meredith jumped out of her seat and ran over and started kissing Derek all over his face. "Meredith, Meredith!" he said laughing. "Yea?" she said with a huge grin on her face. "I've never seen somebody so excited to meet their boyfriends family," Derek said, a little confused. Meredith rolled her eyes, "You have no idea how long I've been waiting for you to ask me to meet them. You talk about your sisters and their kids all the time. I want to meet them!" Derek was so happy that Meredith was excited to meet his family because he knew how they could be when ever he brought someone home. If she was excited, she would be relaxed.

They made their plans to fly to Maine the day after Christmas. They didn't want to be there on Christmas because Derek knew how hectic it would be with all of the kids, so they decided to stay for New Years instead. Meredith took an extra few days after the New Year off from school, and Derek took 2 weeks off from the hospital. Meredith was so excited to meet the family that Derek constantly raved about, but she had to admit, she was nervous whether or not they would like her or not. She was afraid they might take objection to their relationship because Meredith was younger than Derek, and vowed to make the best impression possible.

The morning they were schedule to leave, things were extremely hectic. Meredith was running around the apartment, making sure that she didn't leave anything important. The fact that she was so nervous didn't help matters. Derek kept trying to get her to calm down but all of his attempts failed. They finally left and got to the airport just in time to make it through security and have a little bit of time to relax before they had to board. They were sitting at their gate waiting when Meredith just looked at Derek. When he noticed and looked back at her, "What is it Mer?" She was really antsy, "I'm nervous Derek. What if they don't like me? What if they think I'm too young? What…" Before she could get out another what if, Derek cut her off, "Shhh. Stop. It's going to fine. They're going to love you because I love you, and that's all that matters." He kissed her head and she relaxed a bit and leaned her head onto his shoulder. A couple minutes later she sat up again, "What is it now?" he asked. "Nothing, I'm just thirsty. I'm going to get a bottle of water to take on the plane. Do you want anything?" she asked. "No thanks," he replied and she walked away to get something to drink. About 5 minutes after she got back the plane began to board.

The flight was about 5 hours but they entertained each other the whole way there. They did crossword puzzles, number puzzles, word searches and watched the movie that was being shown on the plane. The plane landed and they got off and retrieved their luggage before going and getting their rental car. Derek had decided to rent a big SUV so that a lot of his family could fit in it. They got in the car and drove about a half hour to his family's house. Meredith looked out the window to see a big brick house, with a white fence and a beautiful garden, "It's gorgeous Derek!" He smiled, "I'm glad you like it! You ready to go in?" Meredith took a deep breath, "Yea, I'm ready."

A/N: Like it? Reviews please! I don't think I'll have anything tomorrow because I'm going to a baseball game, so I'll try to get in some more tonight…but only if you people review! I just watched the premiere again. Oh my gosh, that Derek scene with the I love you, it made me tear up. I want a guy like that…well, I just want a guy. Haha…okay enough rambling.

Oh...one question...I was watching Patrick on Regis and Kelly and he said something about the fact that the show picked up 5 hours after it left off and that people would understand that...What does it mean? I had another revelation about something, but I won't tell unless you review!


	19. Home

A/N: There is a picture like everywhere, of Meredith and Derek; it looks like standing outside of the hospital. Is that just a picture or is it in an episode?

Chapter 19: Home

Derek got out of the car and came around and opened the door for Meredith. He could see that she still looked at little worried, "Meredith, listen to me. It's going to be fine. I promise. We're going to have fun and we're not going to be with them all the time. You and I are going to go out on New Years. So, lets go okay?" She smiled at him, "I love you so much." He kissed her on the forehead and took her hand and helped her out of the car, "I love you too Mer." Derek told Meredith that they would get their bags later after they go inside and meet his parents and his little sister. They walked up the path holding hands and Derek opened the door, "Hello? I'm here!" The first person to come was his mother, "Derek! Oh my goodness!" Derek smiled and gave his mother a big hug. "Mom, this is my girlfriend Meredith," he said introducing them, "Mer, this is my mother Katherine." Meredith gave Derek's mother a hug, "It's nice to meet you Mrs. Shepherd." "Oh please," she said, "call me Katherine." "Is that Derek?" his father said coming into the front hallway. "Dad," Derek said, walking over and shaking his fathers hand and then hugging him. "Dad, this is my girlfriend Meredith. Meredith this is my father Billy." Meredith gave him a big hug as well, "It's so nice to meet you," she said. Derek looked around, "Where's Kelsey?" Kelsey was his youngest sister, a 16 year old. "Oh," Katherine said, "She is at a friend's house and she'll be back for dinner."

They got all their bags out of the car and put them in Derek's room. They were putting their stuff away and Derek came up behind Meredith and started to kiss her neck. Meredith smiled and turned around and let him keep kissing her neck while she enjoyed it and ran her hands through his hair. She kissed his lips and wrapped her arms around his neck. He began to take off her shirt when there was a knock on the door. "Damnit," Derek said, laughing a little bit. "Later," he whispered in her ear and then walked over and opened the door. "DEREK!" came the shriek of a teenage girl. "Kels" Derek said, giving his little sister a hug, "It's great to see you!" "You too…and who is this?" she asked, raising her eyebrows and looking at Meredith. "I'm, um, Derek's girlfriend. I'm Meredith," she said, sticking out her hand. Kelsey shook her hand, "Good one Derek, she's cute." "Shut up Kelsey, go do your homework," he said, pushing her down the hallway.

Derek closed the door and started kissing Meredith again. Meredith closed her eyes and enjoyed the attention he was giving her neck but suddenly stopped him, "Derek, we can't do this." Why not?" he asked confused. "Because, we're in your parents house," she said adamantly. "Meredith," he said, "Do you think I've never had sex here before?" She laughed, "Yea, you probably did. But, I mean, we're loud." Derek laughed, "Later? When everyone's asleep?" Meredith rolled her eyes, "You act like we haven't had sex in years. It's only been like a day," she said laughing. "You promise, later?" She smiled, "Yes," and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Meredith's cell phone rang and she went over and picked it up, "Hello?" "Mer, its Jason. I know you're in Maine with Derek, but I just wanted to let you know that Melissa had the baby. It's a girl," her brother told her. A huge grin broke out on Meredith's face, "Oh my gosh, congratulations Jase! Did you name her yet?" "Yea, Alexandra. I'll let you go, just wanted to tell you," he said. "Thanks, Bye Jason," Meredith said and then hung up. "Derek! Melissa had a baby girl!" she said excitedly. "Congratulations," he said and gave her a hug.

Derek and Meredith went downstairs and ate dinner with his parents and little sister. "When are Karen, Jen, and Emily coming over?" Derek asked. "They'll be here for breakfast with tomorrow, along with all the kids," his mom said. Meredith was really excited to meet the whole family. Everything had been going really well so far.

A/N: I know this is short but I wanted to give you all something since I haven't updated much. But, I'm not getting many reviews so I don't if I really want to continue this story.


	20. She's Too Young

A/N: So I got a lot of reviews asking me to continue this story so…I will! I would have updated earlier but I went to the Orioles game – last home game of the year so I'm really sad. But I met my favorite player after the game…again. So, on with the story, even though I'm sad

Chapter 20: Too Young

Meredith headed upstairs to get ready for bed, but Derek stayed downstairs to talk to his family while Meredith was in the bathroom. "She's young Derek," his mother said concerned. "So?" Derek asked, as he helped finish cleaning the dishes from dinner, he knew that this topic would come up sooner or later. "She's too young for you. Don't get me wrong, Derek, she's a very sweet girl. But she's too young." Derek put down the dishes that he was drying and turned around, "I love you dearly mom, but I'm not going to not be with someone just because you think she's too young. I'm in love with her mom." Meredith overheard this part of the conversation as she was walking from the bathroom back to Derek's bedroom. She knew it was going to come up, and she walked into Derek's room and sat down on the bed crying.

Derek went upstairs to go to bed and when he opened the door saw Meredith sitting on the bed in tears. "Meredith," he said, walking over to her, "What? What's wrong?" "You're family hates me," she said in between sobs, "I heard you talking to your mom." Derek pulled her into his chest, "She doesn't hate you. I promise. Listen, look at me," he said lifting her chin up. He wiped the tears away with his thumb and held her head in his hands. "They don't hate you. They just think you're young. But I don't care. I love you Meredith. I am so in love with you. So don't worry okay?" Meredith smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek, "Thank you." She wiped her eyes and smiled at him. He chuckled, "There's that smile."

Meredith had promised Derek something earlier in the evening after they were interrupted but his little sister, but instead, after they both finished getting ready for bed, they just lay in bed in each others arms, talking a little bit and laughing. They were so comfortable with each other and Meredith felt so safe. After Derek had calmed her down and comforted here earlier in the evening, she realized just how much he meant to her. She knew that she loved him, but there was something more.

The next morning Derek woke up before Meredith but it was almost time for them to get up anyway because his sisters would be there in about an hour. "Mer?" he said, quietly. She just groaned and rolled over. Derek just laughed at her, and decided on another plan of action to wake her up. He started to kiss her neck and moved down her chest. She was wearing a very low cut lacy tank top and so he inched it down little by little until she finally woke up. "Derek," she said, still half-asleep, "What time is it?" "I think you know," he answered and continued to kiss her chest. She just smiled, "We can't do this right now." Derek stopped and sat up, "Why not?" "Because," she said, "We'll wake everybody up." "They have to get up anyway," he said and leaned forward and kissed her on the forward. "I know, but, later okay? I really do promise. Last night was, well, it just wasn't good so, later, okay?" Derek smiled, "Can't wait." He got off the bed and helped her out. "You want to shower first?" he asked. She smiled, "No. I want to shower with you." He laughed, "Okay, but, does this count as later?" She rolled her eyes, "Wow. You're like a rabbit." He started to laugh, "But does it?" She took his hand and walked them to the bathroom, "No, it doesn't."

A/N: I know this another short chapter but I'm really tired because I've had a really busy weekend and I'm depressed about the end of baseball and I have school tomorrow. I promise I'll have more tomorrow afternoon, as long as my internet continues to work. Review, review, review.

Oh, my revelation was: Ya know when in the pilot episode, Derek and Meredith go into the stairwell and she says, "I'm not the girl in the bar anymore and you're not the guy." Well in the premiere, when they meet she says, "I'm just a girl in the bar" and he said, "I'm just a guy in a bar." That's what the meant in the pilot! Get it?


	21. I Got It

A/N: I know exactly where I want this story to go so I will continue it. I just leant my season 1 DVD to a friend who wants to get into the show so if anybody notices anything else, like my little revelation thing, let me know, because I know Shonda said to go back and watch season 1. Oh, and sorry about the typos in other chapters. I should reread before I post – I'll try to be better about that.

Chapter 21: I Got It

Derek and Meredith were coming out of the bathroom together, only in towels because they had forgotten to bring their clothes into the bathroom in their haste to get into the shower with each other. They were walking down the hall laughing, and thought that nobody else was awake when Derek's mom came out of her room. She saw that they were both in towels and put the pieces together. "Derek, what is going on?" she said, seeming a little angry. Meredith tensed up because she knew already that although Derek's mother like her, she thought that she was way too young for her only son. "Nothing, we're just going to go get ready for breakfast. Love you," Derek said and gave his mother a kiss on the cheek.

Katherine walked away just as Kelsey, Derek's little sister was coming out of he room. She started laughing "Awwww! You're in trouble!" She knew exactly what was going on and that they had been in the shower together because her room was right next to the bathroom and she could hear them. "Kelsey, come here," Derek said pulling her into his room, along with Meredith. "What is it?" she said, holding back a laugh. "Please go talk to mom. Distract her. I don't care, do anything. Make her forget what she saw," he was practically begging her. "You want me to make mom forget that you and Meredith, you're girlfriend who she already thinks is too young for you, were having sex in the shower?" Kelsey asked, quite amused.

Meredith sat down on the bed and lay back, cursing herself for getting in the shower with him. She knew that it was probably a bad idea but did it anyway because he was Derek, and the night before he had comforted her and she just wanted to be with him, "Crap, crap, crap," she repeated to herself. "Kelsey!" Derek said, turning and around and noticing Meredith. He sat down on the bed and took her hand, "Kelsey, how did you…I mean, you know?" Kelsey rolled her eyes, "I'm not stupid Derek. First of all, you're standing in the hallway, together, wet, only in towels. Second, my room is right next to the bathroom and you two aren't exactly quiet." She started to laugh again and Meredith just closed her eyes and tears started to roll down her face.

Derek kissed her hand and then got up and took his sister out into the hallway, "She's really upset Kels. Last night, she heard mom saying that she thinks she's too young for me. Afterwards, I found her in my room sobbing. I just need you to be nice to her. She thinks that our family hates her. I'm in love with her so please make her feel like part of our family." Kelsey just stood there not saying anything. "Do you have anything to say?" Derek asked. "Wow," was all she could say. "Wow?" he asked a little bit confused. "You really love her, don't you?" Kelsey asked. "Yes, I do," Derek said, sighing. "Okay, I'll go talk to mom." She patted Derek on the shoulder and went downstairs to distract her mother like he had asked. Derek went back inside to see Meredith still in her towel putting the stuff that they had unpacked and put into drawers back into her suitcase. "Meredith?" he asked but she just ignored him and continued to put her stuff back into her bag. "Meredith, what are you doing?" he took the suitcase off the bed and took her hands and sat them down on the bed.

She burst into tears again and could barely speak, "They hate me Derek. They really do." He didn't know what to say to her and just took her in his arms, "Shh. Mer, it's okay. Shh, Just calm down, okay?" Her sobs gradually slowed and she finally stopped crying, "Derek, what did I do wrong? Have I not been nice to them? I knew I should have brought a gift. Why don't they like me?" Derek cut her off before she could continue, "Slow down, Meredith. They don't dislike you. My parents are very conservative that's why my mom freaked when she saw us. My sister, she's just my sister. She likes you and she knows that I love you. So, lets get dressed and go downstairs and have breakfast with my family and my other sisters will be here soon." Meredith wiped the rest of her tears on her towel and kissed Derek on the cheek, "I love you so much." He smiled and kissed her back, "You too."

Meredith got dressed in a black sweater that Derek had given her, and some nice jeans. She thought that maybe if she dressed nicely, she would at least make a good impression on his sisters. Derek put on a blue and white stripped button-down shirt and jeans. They went downstairs holding hands and sat down on the kitchen table. Derek's mother put a plate of toast on the table, without so much as saying hello to them. Meredith sighed and put a piece of toast on her plate. Derek noticed that she looked uncomfortable and took her hand under the table. "It's okay, Just relax, alright?" he whispered in her ear. She smiled, hearing his breathy voice in her ear and feeling his breath on her neck. He poured them each some coffee and handed Meredith the sugar bowl. As she was putting sugar in her coffee the doorbell rang. "Derek, could you get that?" his mother asked. "Mom, Meredith and I are trying to…" before he could continue she said, "Derek, it's your sister. Get the door." He sighed and got up and went into the front hall.

Derek opened the door and saw his oldest sister, Jen, her husband Mike, and their 3 kids, Lily who was 8, Crissy who was 5, and Daniel, who was 6 months old, waiting to come into the house. Derek gave his sister a hug, shook Mike's hand, and gave each the kids a kiss before taking Jen aside. "What is it Der?" she asked, a bit worried. "Please, please, be nice to Meredith. She's having a really tough time. Mom, caught us in the hallway in only towels and Meredith overheard her talking about her so, you know?" Derek pleaded. Jen smiled and patted him on the shoulder, "I got it." They went into the kitchen and when Meredith heard more people coming she stood up. Derek came over and wrapped his arm around her waist, "Jen, Mike, this is Meredith." Meredith hugged each of them, and knew immediately that she liked Jen. She seemed like a very warm person and Meredith had a feeling that she wasn't going to have any problems getting along with her. Derek introduced Meredith to the two older kids and then took the baby from Mike, "And this, is my beautiful little nephew, Daniel." Meredith took the little boys hand and shook it lightly, and smiled at the goofy grin on the little boys face. She never realized how good Derek was with kids.

A/N: This is my longest chapter ever, so let me know what you think. I may have more tonight, not sure.


	22. Don't Care

Chapter 22: Don't Care

After everybody had been introduced everybody, Jen pulled Meredith into the living room. "It's so nice to meet you Meredith. Whenever I talk to Derek, all he talks about is you." Meredith couldn't help but smile when she found out that Derek spoke about her with his sisters, "Thank you." Jen patted her on the shoulder, "I just wanted to let you know that my mother's…problems with you, they aren't personal. Ever since Addison broke Derek's heart, she's been extremely protective of him and finds something wrong with every girlfriend. If she didn't think that he loved you, she wouldn't be doing that." Meredith was grateful for what Jen told her but wondered why his mother didn't realize that he was happy and be happy for him. Meredith nodded her head, "Thank you for telling me that. I really love him." Jen was so happy that Derek had found somebody who loved him as much as he loved her. She had a good feeling about Meredith, and didn't think that things would end up how that had with Addison.

Jen and Meredith finished their conversation and went back into the kitchen to finish eating breakfast. Derek was feeding Daniel and Meredith stood in the doorway watching. He was so comfortable with the baby, and the first thought that came to Meredith's mind was how great of a father he would be. She had to stop herself because she knew that was moving too fast. She knew that if she was too have children, she would want him to be the father. Derek saw her watching him and grinned from ear to ear. He handed the baby back to Jen and walked over to Meredith who was still in the doorway and put his arm around her waist, "What are you talking about?" he said into her ear. She got chills just hearing his voice right in her ear. "Girl talk," she said. He smiled, "I'm glad you're getting to know my family."

Later in the day Derek's second oldest sister, Emily came over with her three kids, Alexis who was 12, Jamie who was 8 and Samuel, who was 5, and she was 5 months pregnant. Meredith loved that Derek had a big family because she only had one brother. All the kids were so excited to see Derek and wanted him to go outside and play with them, "Mer? Do you mind if I go outside?" She shook her head, "Not at all, have fun," she gave him a kiss on the cheek and he went to play with the kids. Alexis and Meredith stood in the kitchen talking. Alexis looked at her, "Meredith, he really loves you. I can just tell by the way he looks at you. He loved Addison too, but not like this. And, we really like you too, so don't mind our mom, okay?" Meredith smiled, "Yeah. Thank you, both of you. I really appreciate you welcoming me into the family because yesterday and this morning weren't the easiest." Jen smiled, "So, what exactly happened this morning? Kelsey told us some stuff, but she tends to exaggerate." Meredith laughed, "You sure you want to hear? It has to deal with your brother's sex life." Both sisters cringed and they said, "We don't want all the details we just want to know what happened." Meredith told them the story about Derek's sister almost catching them about to have sex and then getting caught in the hallway in towels. By the end of the story, everyone was in tears because they were laughing so hard.

Meredith decided to go outside and watch Derek play with the kids. When she went out on the deck she saw them all playing football and Derek was chasing them around. It made her so happy to see him enjoying himself so much. She realized how lucky she was to have him. When he saw her standing on the deck watching he motioned for her to come down and play with them. Meredith couldn't resist and joined in the game of flag football. Meredith caught a pass from one of the kids but was quickly grabbed by Derek who picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. "Derek!" she squealed, "It's flag football!" He kept running with her until he got tired and fell down on the ground with her on top. All the kids were watching and laughing. Derek was about to kiss Meredith when she stopped him, "All the kids are watching." "I don't care he said," and kissed her deeply. All the kids yelled out, "EWWW!" and started running around in circles. Derek pulled away from the kiss, and Meredith was breathless. He had that effect on her.

_Somethin' in your eyes, makes me wanna lose myself  
Makes me wanna lose myself, in your arms  
There's somethin' in your voice, makes my heart beat fast  
Hope this feeling lasts, the rest of my life_

All the kids were rounded up and sent inside to clean up for lunch. Meredith and Derek were still lying on the ground kissing. Derek pulled away, "Let's go upstairs okay?" Meredith just nodded her head and let Derek help her up.

_If you knew how lonely my life has been  
And how long I've been so alone  
And if you knew how I wanted someone to come along  
And change my life the way you've done_

Everyone was getting ready to eat lunch but Meredith and Derek didn't care. They wanted some time together. After the crazy morning, all they wanted to do was be with each other and didn't care what everyone body else thought. They went up into Derek's room and he closed the door. Derek's sisters noticed and decided that they would let them be alone, and keep their parents occupied.

_It feels like home to me, it feels like home to me  
It feels like I'm all the way back where I come from  
It feels like home to me, it feels like home to me  
It feels like I'm all the way back where I belong_

Derek started kissing Meredith's neck and she began to unbutton his shirt. He slipped it off the rest of way and kept kissing her as she ran her fingers through his hair. Derek blew a raspberry on her cheek and she burst out laughing. Downstairs, Jen heard them giggle, and knew what was to come. She decided that they should take their lunch outside on the deck. She would have put on music but didn't know how loud they would be.

_A window breaks, down a long, dark street  
And a siren wails in the night  
But I'm alright, 'cause I have you here with me  
And I can almost see, through the dark there is light_

Derek lay Meredith down gently on the bed and crawled on top of her and slowly took her sweater off, "You are so beautiful." She smiled and kissed him deeply. He reached his arms under her so he could hold her and she undid his belt and took it off. She looked up at him and smiled and he unzipped her jeans slowly.

_Well, if you knew how much this moment means to me  
And how long I've waited for your touch  
And if you knew how happy you are making me  
I never thought that I'd love anyone so much_

They made love slowly and passionately, just enjoying and embracing each others touch. They had had sex before, but it had never been like this. Meredith had already known that she loved him, but it was at this moment that she knew he was the man that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him.

_It feels like home to me, it feels like home to me  
It feels like I'm all the way the back where I come from  
It feels like home to me, it feels like home to me  
It feels like I'm all the way back where I belong  
It feels like I'm all the way back where I belong_

Afterwards, they just lay in bed together in each others arms kissing occasionally and laughing and joking with one another. About a half hour later, there was a knock on the door, "Derek, it's Jen. I stalled mom and dad as long as I could but you too better get downstairs now." Meredith laughed and got out of bed and started to get dressed. They tried to straighten their clothes and their hair but there was no doubt in anyone's mind what they had been doing.

A/N: So I included a song in this. How do you all like this? I really love this chapter. This is going to be it for tonight because I need a goodnight sleep. More tomorrow afternoon after school. Review please!


	23. Comfortable

A/N: More than 100 Reviews! Yay! Here's more as promised…

Chapter 23: Comfortable

They were about to go downstairs when Derek stopped Meredith from opening the door, "You don't have to go downstairs right now. I do, because it's my family, but you can stay up here." Meredith smiled, "So, I can take a nap?" Derek laughed, "Yeah, you can. Do you want me to bring anything up to you for lunch?" "No, I just need some sleep. Wake me up in an hour okay?" she said. He kissed her forehead, "I love you." Derek went downstairs to spend some time with his sisters and mom and dad while Meredith rested.

When he got downstairs, his family seemed really relaxed and not at all upset that he and Meredith had missed lunch. "Where's Meredith?" his dad asked, putting the leftover food in the refrigerator. "She's taking a nap. Running around with the kids outside really wore her out." After he helped put the rest of the stuff away, Emily pulled him aside. "Derek, we talked to mom. She promises to be nice to Meredith. And she said that she's sorry for being like that she just doesn't want you to get hurt." Derek knew deep down that his mother had good intentions and that she wasn't trying to drive Meredith away. She had done this with all his girlfriends especially since Addison. It reminded Derek of how Jason had treated him when they all first met.

An hour later, Derek went upstairs to wake Meredith up. She looked so comfortable that he felt bad waking her but he knew that she wanted to spend more time to get to know his family. He sat down on the bed next to her and gently tapped her on the shoulder, "Meredith, wake up." She woke up easily and sat up, sleep still in her eyes, "Hey Der." He smiled realizing that she was only half awake, "Ready to come downstairs?" She nodded and he helped her out of bed, and they headed downstairs holding each others hands.

They came downstairs and sat down on the couch next to each other and they all started talking. "So," Derek's dad asked, "Tell us more about being a teacher Meredith." Meredith had liked Billy since the moment she met him. He seemed like a really warm person. Her mother had seemed the same way but didn't end up that way. Meredith couldn't hold it against Katherine though, because she was just doing what a mother is supposed to do. Meredith loved Derek too much to hold anything against any member of his family. Meredith told her father how she had become a teacher. She hadn't always wanted to be one but when she found out that her brother was having a baby and met the baby, she decided that she wanted to be around children.

They all enjoyed their conversation. Katherine even participated in the conversation without having anything bad to say to Meredith. "Karen's going to be here for dinner, so, what do you all want to have? I don't really want to cook again," she said. They decided to order a pizza and Meredith offered to make a salad. She went into the kitchen with Jen, who could tell her where everything was. "Thank you Jen. For giving me a Derek some alone time this afternoon. We really need it," Meredith said as she took a big bowl out of the cupboard. Jen got the lettuce and other vegetables and sat down on one of the stools at the counter, "No need to thank me. I know what it's like bringing somebody home and having your family interrogate them it's not a good feeling. Derek loves you and wants you to be comfortable here. It's the least I can do." Meredith smiled, and didn't know what to say. She really liked Derek's sisters because they knew they cared about him and wanted him to be happy.

Meredith finished making the salad and put it in the refrigerator while they waited for the pizza to come. Derek came in as she was finishing and gave her a big hug. "What was that for?" she asked. "For putting up with my family," Derek answered. "Derek, I really like them. Despite you're mom's doubts, everybody has been so welcoming so there is no need to apologize," Meredith said. Derek kissed the top of her head, and then took her hand and walked them back into the living room. "Thank you for making the salad, honey," Derek's mother said. Meredith smiled at Katherine with a feeling that things were going to get better.

Just as they were starting to talk, the doorbell rang and Derek got up to get it. He went and opened the door to let his sister Karen and her family in. Her husband, Jack, couldn't come because he was on a business trip but she brought her too kids, Joshua who was 5 and Chelsea who was 2. Derek gave each of the kids of a kiss as they ran in to the den to play with all their cousins. "Meredith, this is my last sister, Karen," he said introducing them. Meredith gave her a hug, "It's so nice to meet you." Karen agreed, "You too. Sorry about my kids, not saying hello, Joshua is 5 and Chelsea is 2." Meredith laughed, "Don't worry about it, their kids, they want to play." Karen knew immediately that she liked Meredith.

About 15 minutes later, the pizza was delivered and everybody went into the dining room and sat down at the table to eat. Meredith served that salad that she had made and was glad that everybody was enjoying it because it was just about the only thing that she knew how to make. They ate almost all of the pizza and had a lot of fun talking and laughing during dinner. Every couple of minutes Derek would reach over and squeeze Meredith's hand or put his arm around her. This was the first night since they had gotten to Maine that Meredith felt comfortable.

A/N: I'm not sure if I'll have another update tonight. Depends on a few things so…review!


	24. Do You Think She's The One?

A/N: I have a really bad case of senioritis so it's a good thing I have no homework, but I would probably be updating anyway. Maybe Derek can cure me of my senioritis…I would definitely let him do something. Oh, I'm doing this chapter in sort of a different format. I want you guys to let me know what you think and if you don't like it, I'll do what I did before.

Chapter 24: Do You Think She's The One?

After dinner and dessert everybody headed to bed. Derek's sisters had left with their children because all the kids needed to go to bed. Katherine and Billy cleaned up from dinner and Meredith and Derek headed up to bed. They were both exhausted from their afternoon activities and feel asleep quickly.

The next morning, Derek woke up before Meredith. He just lay there with her in his arms, stroking her head and watching her sleep peacefully. Meredith woke up and opened her eyes slowly and saw that Derek was watching her.

"Good morning," she said sleepily.

Derek gave her a kiss, "Good morning to you too."

"How long have you been awake?"

"Only about 20 minutes," he answered.

Meredith laughed, "So, you've just been lying here watching me? Why didn't you wake me up?"

"I didn't want to wake you up. You looked so beautiful and peaceful."

Meredith smiled, "Do you want to go downstairs and get some breakfast?"

"No, I just want to lay here with you. I feel safe in your arms. Nothing's wrong."

"Meredith, what's wrong that you want to avoid by staying in bed? I thought last night went really well."

Meredith sighed, "It did. I'm just worried that I'm going to screw up again today. Your sisters aren't going to be here today to…help us."

"Mer, I promise it will be fine okay? Let's go downstairs and eat."

Meredith finally agreed. They got out of bed, showered separately, and headed downstairs to get some food. Katherine and Billy were at the table drinking coffee when Derek and Meredith walked into the kitchen.

"Hey. Good morning you two," Derek's mom said, pouring herself another cup of coffee.

"Good morning Katherine," Meredith said sitting down at the table.

"How did you sleep?"

"I slept really well. Derek's bed is really comfortable."

Derek and Billy realized that Meredith and Katherine were getting along really well and actually having a pleasant conversation and decided to leave the room. It was the first time that they would have had a chance to talk alone and Derek thought that it was a good opportunity for Meredith to actually get to know his mother. It would give her a chance to form another opinion other than the one of his mother hating Meredith because of her young age.

Derek grabbed a bagel and sat down in the living room with his father. "I hope Meredith and Mom start to get along. Meredith thinks that she hates her."

"She doesn't hate her, just thinks she's too young. I think she's lovely." Derek smiled at his dad, and signed in relief. At least one of his parents liked her as much as he did. Derek's dad looked at him, "You really care about her, don't you?"

"Yea, I do. She's really special. I know what it's like to be in love, because I was loved Addison deeply, but there's something about her. She's amazing."

"Do you think she's the one?" Billy asked taking of sip of his coffee.

Derek just smiled, "Yea, I really do."

A/N: I'll probably have more tonight. Let me know what you think of my new format. I like it better, but, you're the ones reading! I know it's kind of shorter, but it's more spread out. Review please!


	25. McBeautiful

A/N: I was listening to the Grey's podcast and I got all of the little things that related to the pilot and I was like, I'm such a good fan! Anyhow…I won't be able to update from Thursday afternoon/evening and Saturday afternoon because of work and college visit. Anybody, extremely excited about tomorrow night's episode? I may be more exciting then I was for the premiere.

Chapter 25: McBeautiful

After breakfast, Derek's oldest sister Jen called and asked if Meredith would like to go out to lunch, shopping and for a manicure and pedicure. She couldn't turn down a chance to get to know Derek's family, and he encouraged her to go because he wanted her to bond with his sisters.

Jen came and picked Meredith up around 11:00 and their first stop was the nail salon. They each picked out a color and went and sat down in the pedicure chair.

"This is so relaxing," Meredith said leaning her head back, while the massage chair released the tension in her back.

"Yea, this is what I do when I'm really stressed out. I thought it would be good for you right now."

"Things are actually much better," Meredith was happier to say. "I had a really good conversation with your mom this morning while we ate breakfast. It wasn't awkward at all."

"I'm really glad Meredith. She's not bad, just protective like I told you yesterday. She'll warm up to you more each day."

Jen and Meredith sat and talked while the women did their nails. They really enjoyed themselves and Meredith realized that Jen and Derek were a lot alike. Jen, like Derek, really genuinely cared about people and that was one of the things that made her love him so much. After getting their nails done, they headed to a little café down the street for lunch.

"So, I never heard you and Derek met. He just told me that he had a new girlfriend," Jen said, as she sat down at the table the waitress had led them too.

Meredith sat down next to her and began to tell the story of how she met Derek. "We met at a friends wedding. My friend, Cristina, married Preston Burke, who is a cardiothoracic surgeon at the same hospital as Derek. I accidentally bumped into him, stepped on his foot or something. I asked Cristina who he was and she told me that at the hospital people call him Dr. McDreamy."

Jen thought it was so funny that her brother had a nickname that was known throughout the hospital. "Does he know about this nickname?" she asked.

"Yea, he does. I call him that when I'm teasing him."

"So, you're meeting was accidental? You didn't get introduced by your friends?

"No it as purely accidental and was the absolute best way to meet someone. It was like, magical, I don't know. I gave him my number and he gave me his and I was hoping to see him the next day at brunch but he didn't show up and he didn't call me that day so I figured that he probably didn't want to see me and I was like a stand-in wedding date. But the next day I went to school and he had sent me a huge display of flowers and asked me out on a date."

"That sounds like Derek. He always was the romantic in the family. He was such a ladies man in high school. He was the guy that all the girls wanted. When he was a sophomore, I caught him on our back porch making out with one of the senior girls. My parents didn't let him have any girls over for months."

Meredith couldn't help but laugh at all of the stories that Jen told her about Derek when he was younger. She could wait to get home and tease him about it. After a really nice lunch, they decided to head to the mall. Derek had been planning a night for just the two of them on New Year's Eve and she wanted a nice new outfit to wear because she knew he had spent a lot of time preparing the evening.

They spent 3 ½ hours at the mall and Meredith finally picked out a sexy but cute top, some nice pants and a new pair of heals. She also bought some sexy new lingerie that she new Derek would like. That was the only store that Jen had refused to go in with Meredith. She didn't want to know what her brother was going to be taking off of his girlfriend the next night.

After their outing, they were both really tired and Jen dropped Meredith off at Derek's parent's house.

"Thank you so much Jen. I really needed that. I had a great time."

"I did too. Be good to my brother okay? He really likes you."

Meredith smiled, "I really like him too." She told Jen she'd see her on New Years Day and got out of the car and went inside. Derek's parents were each napping in separate rooms and she assumed he was upstairs. She grabbed her bags and went up to Derek's room and saw him lying on his bed reading a book.

"Hey Dr. McDreamy," she said, leaning against the doorway.

Derek laughed and looked up from his book, "Hey McBeautiful."

Meredith rolled her eyes and walked over and sat down on the bed, "That's just McCheesy." Derek started to tickle Meredith and she giggled louder and louder rolling around the bed trying to get away from Derek.

A/N: I might have one more update tonight because I'm not feeling well and I have nothing else to do. But…REVIEW!


	26. Happy New Year

Chapter 26: Happy New Year

The next day was New Year's Eve and Derek had planned for him and Meredith to spend the night together. It would be their first New Year's together and Derek wanted to make it special. It reminded Meredith of their first date when Derek wouldn't tell her what restaurant they were going to and ended up taking her to her favorite Italian restaurant in the city. They only thing that Derek hold told her about their New Year's date was that they were going to leave the house at 7 and she better be ready on time.

"Shouldn't you start getting ready?" Derek asked Meredith, at around 5'oclock.

"It doesn't take me _that_ long," Meredith said as she continued to watch television.

"Yes it does. Don't you remember when we were going to the hospital Christmas party and we were an hour late because you couldn't decide what to wear?"

"That was because I was meeting the people you work with and I wanted to make a good impression and couldn't look like a completely slob."

"Oh, so, it's okay if you look like a slob when you're on a special New Year's Eve date?"

Meredith laughed and got up from her chair, "Of course not. I'll go get ready."

She gave Derek a kiss and went upstairs to take a shower. When she got out of the shower she blow dried and then curled her hair. She put on the white top, black pants and heels that she had bought the day before when she went out shopping with Jen. At 7:02 she came downstairs and Derek was standing at the bottom of the stairs in a black suit, white shirt, and a red tie.

"You look amazing," he said, taking her hand and kissing it.

"Thanks. You don't look so bad yourself."

They told Katherine and Billy that they were leaving and wished them a Happy New Year because they wouldn't be back until later the next morning when Derek's sisters and some other members of his family were coming over for lunch. They went outside and Derek opened the car door and helped Meredith up into the car, walked around the other side and drove away. Meredith had no clue where they were going because she had never been to be Maine before. She couldn't even make a prediction of where he was taking her, but she loved that about him because it kept some spontaneity in their relationship.

About 20 minutes later, they pulled up to a beautiful restaurant. The valet was standing outside waiting and Derek handed him the car keys. Meredith couldn't believe how beautiful the restaurant was. He always seemed to amaze her no matter what. Derek walked up to the hostess, gave her his name and she led them to a table. Derek pulled out the chair for Meredith, "M'lady."

Meredith giggled, "Thank you." Derek sat down on the other side of the table and just started at her for a moment.

"What? What are you looking at? Do I have something in my teeth or my hair? What?"

"You're so beautiful," he said reaching across the table and taking her hand.

She smiled, "Thank you."

They ordered their dinner and had a really nice meal. After dinner, the waitress came over and asked if they needed anything else. Before Meredith could say yes and ask to order dessert, he cut her off. "No thank you. Just the bill please."

"Derek! I want chocolate!"

He laughed at her, "Don't worry, we're having dessert, just not here."

"Really?" she asked raising her eyebrow, "Where are we going? Or is it another secret?"

"What do you think?"

"It's a secret?"

Derek nodded his head, "You got it."

The waitress brought the bill and Derek gave her his credit card. As soon as he got his card back and signed the receipt they left the restaurant. Derek gave the valet his card and they stood outside waiting for them to bring back his car. It was cold outside and Meredith started shivering.

"You okay?" Derek said laughing. He was used to the cold.

Meredith, however, was not. "I'm freezing! It's freezing out here!"

Derek took off his suit jacket and put it on her. He then wrapped his arms around her to keep her warm. "Better?" he asked.

"Much better."

The valet brought their car and they got in. After about another 20 minutes ride they pulled up in front of a little café that was very crowded. "Derek, I don't think we're going to be able to get in here. There are so many people here. I doubt there are any tables available."

Derek just smirked, "That's why I called ahead." Meredith should have known better. He was always prepared for these sorts of things. The fact that he was a world renowned neurosurgeon didn't hurt matters either. By the time they had driven to the other restaurant, finished dinner, paid and driven to the café it was around 11:15.

After about a five minute wait in the café they got seated in the back near a patio that was decorated with a fountain and lots of pretty lights. They sat down at the table and looked at their menu. Meredith just ooo'd and aahh'd as she read through the menu. When she had finished looking at everything they had to offer, they decided to order a plate of strawberries dipped in different kinds of chocolate.

They took turns feeding each other the strawberries and lots of kisses in between bites. At around 5 minutes of midnight, Derek got up and stuck out his hand for Meredith to take.

"Where are we going?" Meredith asked confused.

"Just take my hand, and close your eyes," he said.

"Close my eyes?"

"You trust me don't you?" Derek asked, pretending to be insulted.

"Of course I do, but…"

Before she could continue Derek said, "Okay, then close your eyes and take my hand."

Meredith did as she was told. She felt the cold on her body as Derek led her outside. She assumed that they were going out onto the patio that they could see from their table but they kept walking. Derek finally stopped, "Okay, open your eyes."

When Meredith opened her eyes, they were standing under a little waterfall with lights all around. It was one of the most beautiful things Meredith had ever seen. As Meredith, looked around, Derek looked at his watch, "Happy New Year."

Meredith smiled and turned to Derek, "Happy New Year." She gave Derek a big hug and whispered "I love you," into his ear. He pulled apart from the hug, "I love you too Meredith." He kissed her on the lips and wrapped his arms around her, as she did the same back.

A/N: I love this chapter. I think this is one the best. What do you think? Review! Hope I have a lot of reviews in my inbox when I get up in the morning!


	27. You're Amazing

A/N: Yet again, I'm writing when I'm supposed to be doing something else, which today is laundry. I'll probably have a couple of updates today just because I won't be able to until Saturday afternoon. I'm always watching my season 2 DVD. I sit around watching Grey's Anatomy to pass the time until…Grey's anatomy.

Chapter 27: You're Amazing

After celebrating New Year's standing under a beautiful waterfall, Derek had one more surprise for Meredith. They went back inside and finished their dessert and then Derek led Meredith back out to the car, "We have one more stop to make."

"Where are we going now?"

"You actually think that I would tell you? I would have thought that you knew me better than that by now."

Meredith nodded her head, "You're right. I should have known. But, it's the last place we're going so can't you tell me?"

Derek shook his head and Meredith gave up. She knew that he wouldn't give in to her no matter what she did. After about 10 minutes, they pulled up in front a beautiful, fancy hotel.

"Derek! You brought me to a hotel?" she pretended to be angry but couldn't hide her smile.

"I don't think you're too upset."

Meredith rolled her eyes, "Fine. Let's just go inside."

Derek parked in the spot that had been designated for him when he made the reservation and they walked inside the hotel. There were a lot of people hanging around in the lobby, and at the bar. It looked like somebody was having a big party. The hotel had high ceilings, a large Christmas tree and was beautifully decorated with lights and garlands. They walked up to the desk and Derek gave them his name. The woman who was working looked up their reservation. She told them what room number they had and handed Derek a key, "Here you go sir. Enjoy your stay." Derek thanked the women and took Meredith's hand as they walked to the elevator. The elevator stopped on the 6th floor and they got out.

"How long have you been planning this for Derek?" Meredith asked curiously.

Derek laughed, "You are so full of questions today, aren't you?" Meredith smiled as Derek opened the door to their room. Derek put his hand on the small of Meredith's back and led her into the room. There were rose petals on the floor leading to the bed as well as on the bed and on the side table there was a chilled bottle of champagne and two glasses. Meredith turned around a looked at Derek with a huge grin on her face, "You planned all of this?"

Derek nodded his head, "I would do anything for you."

"This is like a honeymoon suite. It's not our wedding night, Derek."

He just laughed, "No, it's not our wedding night, but that doesn't mean we can't do something special like this. I wanted to spend the night with you, here alone. No interruptions by my parents, my sister, or anyone. It's just you and me."

Meredith went over and filled the glasses with champagne and handed one to Derek, "To…a great year with you."

"I'll drink to that," Derek said, as they each took a sip of champagne.

Meredith walked around the room looking at everything that Derek had had set up for her including the champagne. There were more strawberries and chocolate like they had eaten at the café as well as other little desserts.

"Derek, this is amazing."

"Just like you."

He walked over to her and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he took her head in his hands. Derek was about to take off Meredith's shirt when she stopped him.

"What's wrong?" he asked, quite confused.

"Nothing's wrong. Just wait here okay? I have a surprise for you," she said walking into the bathroom and closing the door. About 2 minutes later she came out of the bathroom in the new lingerie that she had bought the day before. She was wearing a black sexy negligee that showed off her cleavage and matching panties underneath. Derek heard the bathroom door open and looked up to see her standing in the doorway with a huge smile on her face.

"Wow. Just, wow," he said glancing up and down trying to take everything in.

She smirked, "I thought you would like this. I bought it yesterday especially for you."

"Especially for me? Not for your other boyfriend? I feel special"

"You should," Meredith said as they both laughed, but all of the sudden Derek stopped.

"Wait, you bought it yesterday? When you went shopping with my sister? Meredith, that's disgusting, my sister helping you pick out lingerie."

Meredith laughed, "Relax Derek. She didn't help me choose this. It was the only store that she refused to go into with me."

She was still standing the doorway when Derek said, "Are you just going to stand there looking all sexy and beautiful or are you going to come over here?"

Meredith grinned and walked over to Derek who was sitting on the edge of the bed. She straddled him and started to kiss his neck. He moaned in delight as she slowly unbuttoned his shirt and brushed his chest with her fingernails. He kissed her lips and she giggled as he put his hand under her top and tickled her stomach.

He cupped her head in his hands and kissed her forehead as he ran the other hand lightly down her arms. He brushed the straps of her top down her shoulders and kissed the skin just above her breasts that wasn't covered.

Meredith finished unbuttoning his shirt and pushed it off of his shoulders. He took it off the rest of the way and threw it across the room. Meredith started laughing when she realized that his shirt had landed on top of a lamp.

"Meredith!" Derek complained when she got off of him to go get the shirt.

"What? I have to take this off of here or it could start a fire. That would make for a not so great New Years."

She took the shirt off of the lamp and threw it on the floor and came back over to the bed, this time lying underneath of Derek. She unbuckled his belt and pulled it out, throwing it onto the floor along with his shirt and her panties, which Derek had taken off quickly as soon as she had gotten back onto the bed with him. Meredith unzipped his pants slowly and looked him right in the eyes.

"I love you Derek."

"I love you too Meredith," Derek said, barely able to speak.

Meredith pushed his pants down and he took them off the rest away. She was only wearing the negligee and he was in his boxers. They repositioned themselves so that Meredith was on top. She grinded against him, even though they were still dressed, heightening the anticipation. After long, Derek couldn't take it anymore and he pulled off her top and threw it onto the floor into the pile with the rest of their discarded clothes. She pushed his boxers down and threw them to the side, "I want you so bad."

Derek just smiled and entered her slowly. They moved in sync, speeding up as the other sped up, moaning in pleasure until they both came. They lay in bed, in each others arms and Meredith turned over to look at Derek, "You are absolutely amazing."

He grinned, "You too."

A/N: Not sure how I feel about this chapter. How about you let me know! I think my love scenes really suck. If you any tips, please share…Review:-D


	28. Jealousy

A/N: I've had a request for a little bit of drama, so I'll give it my best shot! This idea came from a review. I might have one more update tonight but I don't think so. I'm really tired and I want to at least stay awake to watch tonight's episode and then I'll probably go to bed right after it ends.

Chapter 28: Jealousy

Meredith was lying in bed in Derek's arms and turned over to look at him, "Wanna get in the shower?" she asked seductively.

Derek chuckled at her eagerness, "How about we get some food first? I don't know about you, but I really worked up an appetite before."

"What about the desserts?"

"I don't want desserts. I want a meal. You wore me out Meredith. You expect me to just eat dessert?"

She just laughed, "I'll get dressed and go down to the restaurant and get something. I don't feel like waiting for room service"

Derek kissed Meredith on the cheek. She got up and put her panties and bra back on and then turned around, "What the hell am I supposed to wear because I'm not going down there in my underwear."

Derek laughed, "I would never let you. I'm the only one who gets to see you in your underwear. Look in the drawer," he said and rolled over in bed.

Meredith opened the drawer and inside was her favorite velour sweat suit and a tank top.

"You thought of everything didn't you?" she said, pulling on the outfit.

Meredith took the room key and walked to the elevator and went downstairs to the hotel restaurant. She ordered two plates of chicken tenders and fries and sat down at an empty table while they prepared their food. She was just looking around the hotel when she felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around, "What are you doing here?"

Standing behind her was her ex-boyfriend Tyler. They had been together for two years and had a really nasty break-up. She had broken up with him because he wasn't treating her as well as she felt like she deserved. He didn't beat her, but he certainly wasn't nice to her. He was very controlling and possessive all the time.

After she had broken it off, he had all of his friends call her and harass her in an attempt to get her back but it didn't work. And then she met Derek at Cristina and Burke's wedding and he was the complete opposite of Tyler. He was sweet, caring and attentive and treated her the way she always believed the man she loved would.

Meredith stood up from the table and gave Tyler a really awkward hug, "Seriously. What are you doing here?"

"I moved to Maine a few months ago. What are you doing here?"

Meredith didn't know how to respond. She knew that I she told him that she was there with her boyfriend he could get really jealous and that was the last thing that she wanted to happen ,especially in the middle of a fancy hotel.

"I'm just here with someone, celebrating the New Year."

"What kind of someone?" he asked, trying to be nonchalant but not succeeding at all.

"I should really get my food and get back upstairs."

"No, Meredith, who are you here with?" he said, grabbing her arm.

"Tyler, let go of me."

Meredith was starting to get really uncomfortable. She wished that she had just walked away from the conversation or the first place or said that she was there with her family. Upstairs, Derek was starting to get worried about what was taking so long. He put his pants back on and buttoned his shirt and went downstairs to find Meredith. When he got down there he saw her struggling to get away from a guy who he didn't recognize.

"Let go of her, man," Derek said sternly.

Meredith was never happier to hear Derek's voice. She knew that he would protect her but was hoping that he didn't say anything about being her boyfriend because that would make Tyler even more possessive than he was already being.

"Who the hell are you?" Tyler asked, beginning to get angry.

"I'm Meredith's boyfriend. Who the hell are you?"

Meredith cringed and feared what was to come. She saw how the look on Tyler's face changed when Derek said the world boyfriend and wanted to split the two of them up before a fight broke out.

"Derek, let's just get our food and go back upstairs okay?"

"No. You're not going anywhere," Tyler said sternly.

"Don't tell her what to do," Derek said beginning to get extremely pissed off. He had no idea who this guy was who was treating the woman he loved like crap and he certainly wasn't going to stand for it.

Meredith put her hand on Derek's chest, "Derek, just let it go okay?"

"No, I'm not going to let it go," he said to her. "This guy has no right to tell you what to do or speak to you this way."

"And you, whoever the hell you are or think you are, don't get to control her either" Tyler, said interrupting Derek and Meredith's side conversation.

Meredith figured it was time to let each of them know who the other was. "Derek, this is my ex-boyfriend Tyler. We were together for a year. He lived in Seattle but he just told me that he moved to Maine a few months ago, and coincidentally, we ended up here on the same night," she said looking at Tyler.

After telling Derek about Tyler, she turned around at the other man who was waiting for an explanation, "Tyler, this is my boyfriend Derek." The two men eyed each other and Meredith didn't like the looks that they were exchanging.

Before Meredith could do anything, Tyler punched Derek in the face and knocked him down to the ground. Meredith knelt down on the floor next to Derek who was clutching the side of his face with his hand.

"Derek, are you okay?" Meredith asked, worriedly.

He grunted in pain. "Yea, I'm fine," he said as he opened and closed his mouth, trying to get the feeling back in his jaw. "I might have a black eye in the morning, but I'm fine."

Meredith stood up and looked at Tyler who was laughing. "Asshole," she yelled, "This is exactly why I broke up with you in the first place. Just get away from me and my boyfriend."

"Meredith, I don't want to leave you with him. He obviously can't protect you, but I can. I love you and I want you back."

"That is crap. You don't want me back and you don't love me. If you love someone you don't treat them like a piece of trash. Get the hell away from me. I don't ever want to see your face again."

By the time Derek got up, a hotel security guard had come over to keep the problem from escalating. The guard had seen everything and escorted Tyler out of the hotel. The hotel manager also came over and apologized for what had happened. He said that their food would be sent up to the room along with an ice pack for Derek's eye and some Tylenol. They got in the elevator and went back up into their room and as soon as they got inside Meredith sat down on the bed and burst into tears.

"Mer? Honey, what's wrong?"

"What's wrong? You got punched in the face and it's my fault."

Derek kneeled next to Meredith and lifted her head up with his finger, "Hey. Hey, Meredith, come on, look at me. It's not your fault. I promise. That guy is a jerk. He never deserved to have you. I'm the one who's to blame. I should have just come down, taken you back upstairs and not gotten into it with him"

"Thank you for rescuing me," Meredith said, with a small smile.

"Always." Derek smiled back and gave her a kiss, "I'm proud of you for defending yourself."

A few minutes later, they were making out on the bed when they were interrupted by their food being delivered to the room along with an icepack for Derek, whose face was swollen and was beginning to develop a bruise. Despite that, they enjoyed their meal and the rest of their night together.

A/N: And there is the requested drama. What do you think? I had a lot of fun writing the fight part. You know what to do…Read and Review…hey that rhymes! If I bring the laptop with me, I might be able to update late tomorrow night, but I'm not sure, so don't count on it. I'll be more inclined to do it if you…REVIEW! Sorry, I'm a review whore. They make me smile.

My take on tonight's episode – LOVE IT! Loved the almost kiss in the stairway and the "Is that you're girlfriend you should mount her right now," and the "I'm picking Derek," and the "Meredith isn't an affair." Damn, McDreamy is hot. Ugh, now Finn is kissing Meredith and it's confusing her, NO! Addison is funny today. Poor Izzie. NO, DON'T PICK FINN! Now they're dating. AND ADDISON AND DEREK BROKE UP! AND HOLY CRAP THERE'S MARK! THAT WAS SOOO GOOD!


	29. Black And Blue

A/N: I ended up not going on that college trip. I had a really bad day at school that resulted in my sitting in the hall for 6 hours because I didn't want to go on the senior trip and my principle was being a…well you know. Then I had to work last night and didn't get out until late and there was no point in going because we wouldn't have gotten to the hotel in time for our reservation. I would have updated earlier but I slept until noon and then had errands to run with my dad. Enough with the rambling and on with the story…

Chapter 29: Black and Blue

Surprisingly, both Meredith and Derek were quite relaxed for the rest of the night despite the confrontation they had had with Tyler. Meredith apologized repeatedly and Derek kept telling her that was no need for her to apologize.

After eating their food and watching a movie, they were both exhausted and decided to go to bed because they had to back at Derek's parent's house by 11am the next day for brunch with his sisters and a few other members of the family.

Meredith woke up first and rolled over in bed to face Derek. She was shocked to see how his eye looked. It was extremely black and blue and still a bit swollen. She felt so bad to have caused him pain.

Not only was she worried about how much his face was going to hurt, but about what his family was going to think when they got home later in the morning. She started to get out of bed when Derek wrapped his arm around her to keep her from moving.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked as he began to kiss her shoulders and neck.

She laughed, "I was going to get in the shower."

"Without me?" he said, pretending to be insulting.

"Of course not. Let's go," she said, pulling him out of bed.

It wasn't until then that the pain of his black eye hit him and he grabbed his eye. "Holy crap, this hurts like hell."

Meredith felt so bad because she knew that that was going to happen. She sat down on the bed and started kissing his face around the black eye, like her mom used to do when she had a scraped her knee or cut her finger.

"Any better?" she asked.

"As much as I love you kissing me all over, it doesn't make my head throb any less."

"I'm so sorry Derek. I wish I could do something to help you."

"Meredith, for the millionth, it's not your fault. And you can help me. Get in the shower with me."

Meredith smiled, "Okay. Let's go."

She took his hand and led him out of bed and into the bathroom. Meredith turned the water on so it was nice and hot and they undressed each other. Derek stepped into the shower first and then helped Meredith in.

They were facing each other, kissing, and enjoying the sensation of the hot water beating down on their bodies. Derek helped Meredith wash her back and she did the same for him. He kissed her neck and down her chest and she just enjoyed the special attention that he was giving her.

All of a sudden Meredith stopped him, "Derek, we have to get going. We have to be back to your parent's house in an hour."

He stopped and rested his head on her shoulder, "You're right. But I don't want to leave. I just want to be alone with you."

"We've been alone for a whole day when we were on a trip to visit your parents." she said running her hands through his wet hair.

"I know. But it wasn't long enough."

He kissed her on the lips passionately and she couldn't resist him. She put one arm around his neck and ran the other up and down his wet chest.

Half an hour later, they got out of the shower, very happy and very satisfied. Derek had brought clothes for them to change into because he had been the one who planned the New Years night stay at a fancy hotel.

They both got dressed and packed up the rest of the stuff that they had brought on their little trip. They left the room and went downstairs and Derek checked them out. They put their stuff in the car and they were about to pull out and start heading home.

"Derek, I'm really worried about your eye. I mean, do you want to see a doctor? And what are you parents going so say? It's all my fault and they're going to hate me."

"Relax. I don't need to see a doctor. It's just a black eye. We'll tell my parents what really happened and they won't hate me. I promise. Okay?"

"Okay."

Derek gave her a kiss, turned the car on and drove out of the parking spot heading back to his parent's house. Meredith fell asleep on the ride home, the activities of the night before and the morning having worn her out.

When they got back, all of Derek's sisters cars were parked outside of the house along with a few others. His father's parents were coming as well as his mother's sister. The nervousness that Meredith had felt when meeting just his parents returned to her.

"Derek, I'm nervous."

"We've been through this once already. It's going to be fine. My grandparents are great. Oh, and my mother's sister. Don't mind her. She says what she thinks all the time no matter what."

"Great," Meredith mumbled.

Derek laughed, "Relax. My grandparents are more like my sisters. Laid back and they like you. They love you. Not as much as me, but they love you."

"Thank you. You're the best."

He gave her a kiss on the check and got out of the car. They got their bags and went inside the house to see everybody sitting in the living room eating breakfast. They all stopped talking when they saw Meredith and Derek walk in.

"Welcome…" Derek's mother stopped in the middle of greeting them when she noticed Derek's bruised face and black eye.

"Derek Shepherd, what in the world happened to you?"

"Happy New Year to you too, Mom," Derek said, trying not to laugh.

He walked over and gave his mother a kiss on the cheek. She put her food on the table next to her and stood up, touching Derek's face.

"How did this happen"

"I got into a fight."

"You got into a fight? You're a surgeon, Derek. You're not an 8 year old. Who in the world did you have to fight with on New Years?"

Meredith felt bad that Katherine was blaming the whole thing on Derek. She wanted to explain what had really happened but was afraid any progress that she had made before would go down the drain. She decided that she needed to tell her what happened.

"It was my fault, Katherine. I was in the hotel restaurant getting us some food and I ran into Tyler, an ex-boyfriend of mine."

Katherine turned around and looked glaring at Meredith. It was the look that she had on her face when she had caught the two of them in the hallway wearing only towels.

"This guy, Tyler, he was very possessive of me. He grabbed my arm and wouldn't let me go. Derek tried to make him let go of me but Tyler ended up punching him."

"This guy Tyler sounds like an ass," said Marcia, Katherine's sister.

Jen, the sister who Meredith had bonded with the most, was very aware of the tension in the room.

"Meredith, why don't I help you take your stuff upstairs," Jen offered.

"Thanks," Meredith said, handed her one of the bags.

They walked upstairs and Meredith dropped their bags on the floor and sat down on the bed.

"I thought things were going better and then I get her son a bruised face and a black eye. No wonder she doesn't like me."

Jen laughed, "Meredith, she doesn't dislike you. Before you two got home, she was telling our grandparents and Marcia how much she liked you and how much in love with you Derek is."

"Seriously?" Meredith asked, perking up a bit.

"Seriously. Let's go downstairs. We can eat breakfast and you can meet my grandparents."

Jen started walking out of the room when Meredith called her name. "Yea?" she said turning around.

"Thank you so much for all of your support during this whole trip. I don't think I would have been able to get through it without you."

"No problem," Jen said, smiling at Meredith and going back downstairs.

When they got downstairs into the kitchen, Katherine was standing there pressing an ice pack to Derek's face. Derek looked a bit annoyed that his mother was treating him like a little kid, but he took it because he didn't want her getting any angrier than she already was.

"Let me do that," Meredith said, taking the ice pack from Katherine's hand.

"Okay," she said calmly. "Just keep it on there for 5 minutes and then take it off. When you're done, grab some food and come into the room with everyone else."

"Alright," Meredith said, smiling, glad to see that Derek's mom wasn't completely pissed off at her.

A/N: As always, review. Did you all like this chapter? I don't. I'll probably update tomorrow morning because I won't be able to until Tuesday after school because Sunday night and Monday is a Jewish holiday.


	30. Acceptance

A/N: I slept until noon so I'm awake now, therefore you get another update. I only got two reviews on the last chapter and that made me sad…You know what to do to make me happy! Got a little bit of this from Thursday night's episode, but I'm not copying, so nobody sue me!

Chapter 30: Acceptance

Meredith met Derek's aunt Marcia and his grandparents. His grandparents were extremely warm and sweet people just like Derek's father, Billy. They were very welcoming of Meredith and she was extremely appreciative of that. They were very genuine people and knew that weren't faking liking her.

Marcia, on the other hand, was quite a character. Derek was certainly right when he told her that she said whatever came to her mind. In the few hours that she was at the house, she told Meredith that she had split ends, that she and Derek would make very good looking children, and that they looked at each other like they wanted to have sex right then and there.

By the end of the day, Meredith was exhausted and just wanted to fall into bed. She said goodnight to everyone and went upstairs to go to sleep with Derek. They got into their pajamas, brushed their teeth and went into Derek's room but didn't get into bed. They were leaving late the next morning and Meredith wanted to pack because she was afraid that she would run out of the time in the morning.

As Meredith was finishing putting the rest of her clothes in her suitcase, Derek came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist and started kissing her neck.

"Derek," she whined, "I'm tired. I want to go to sleep."

He laughed, "I know. I am too."

"Apparently not so much," she said feeling him get excited and trying not to laugh.

"What? I can't help it when I'm around you and you're standing there looking all sexy and teasing me," he said grinning.

"Teasing you? I'm packing. I didn't know packing turned you on."

He turned her around so she was facing him and their faces were only about two inches apart, "Everything you do turns me on."

Derek was such a sweetheart that Meredith couldn't resist. He was always able to comfort her and make her feel better about whatever she happened to be upset about. She couldn't just leave him hanging. She kissed him on the lips and snaked her arms around his waist. Meredith screamed out giggling as Derek picked her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he carried her over to the bed.

Downstairs, Jen was still talking to her parents and sitting at the table drinking tea when they heard the screaming and laughing from upstairs.

"I really like Meredith. I think she would be a great part of our family. Derek really loves her and she makes him so happy. I've never seen him like this with any of the girlfriends he's brought home," Jen said.

"I agree," Billy said. "There's something about her that is just so charming. I can't put my finger on it but it's there. And you're right about Derek. He's just smitten with her."

They both looked at Katherine a little skeptical. They didn't know whether she was going to start saying a lot of negative things or if she was going to agree with all of the compliments that had just given Meredith.

"At first, I didn't like her. I thought she was too young and was just taking advantage of Derek because he's a brain surgeon and well off. But as time's gone on, I think the same thing you two do. She's a really sweet girl and if she makes him happy, then that's all that matters."

Billy and Jen each let out of signs of relief. They all agreed on loving Meredith and hoped that Derek kept her around. She had been polite to all of them despite some of their hesitance at first and they were grateful for her to sticking with him and not letting the things that happened the first day influence what they all thought about each other.

"What about them having sex? You weren't too happy when you found them in the hallway in towels." Billy asked.

Jen coughed, "Um, I'm going to go. I really don't want to talk about my brother's sex life as much as I like the girl that he's….I'm just going to go."

She gave each of her parents a hug and kiss and left to go home to her husband and three children.

Upstairs, Derek and Meredith were lying in bed together after making love. Meredith had her head on Derek's chest and one leg draped across him and he was stroking her head and running his fingers through her hair. They had been relatively quiet because they knew that Katherine, Billy and Jen were in the room right underneath and Meredith didn't want them to think that she was a complete whore.

"You were quiet," Derek said.

"So?"

"Well, you're usually really loud. Is something wrong?"

Meredith laughed, "No. Absolutely not. It's just you're parents are right below us."

"Ah. Gotcha," he said, understanding.

They fell asleep quickly still in the same position as before. Katherine and Billy went upstairs to go to sleep, still talking about Meredith and Derek's relationship.

"Do you think they're going to get married?" Katherine asked getting into bed.

"I honestly don't know. They seem pretty serious but they haven't been together that long. I don't think they should rush into anything."

"You know, after Addison hurt Derek, I didn't think that would ever fall in love like that again. But I see in his eyes when he looks at Meredith how much he cares about her and it's not the same as it was with Addison. There's something more there."

"I know exactly what you mean about Derek not falling in love again. I remember he called us when he found her cheating. He was absolutely devastated. Is that why you weren't open to Meredith at first?"

"Partially, but as I got to know her more, I realized that she wouldn't do that just by the kind of person that she is."

The next morning Derek and Meredith woke up extra early so they could get ready to leave. They wanted to get to the airport a little bit earlier than they had when they were leaving to come to Maine because they had to rush through the airport and barely had time to sit before boarding the plane.

Meredith showered and got dressed quickly while Derek lay in bed watching her.

"Why are you in such a hurry?"

"I just want to be organized."

"So you're not just rushing to leave?"

"No, not at all. I'm just afraid that I'm going to leave something here and I don't want to have to burden your parents to have to send it."

He laughed, "It's fine. Relax honey."

She was already dressed but she lay down on the bed with him and wrapped his arms around her. She put her hand on his chest and kissed his cheek.

"I'm sad to leave. I was really nervous when we got here, and things started out shaky, but I really like your family.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself Mer. I loved seeing you bond with my sisters."

"She is so great. She told me to keep in touch with her, call and e-mail when we get back to Seattle."

"She really likes you too. Just don't get too close that you start plotting against me."

Meredith laughed, "Never."

"Yeah right," Derek said, rolling his eyes.

Meredith went downstairs and made coffee and put stuff out for breakfast while Derek showered, got dressed and finished packing up his stuff. Katherine came downstairs in her bathrobe just as Meredith was finishing putting everything out onto the table.

"You didn't have to do this, sweetie," Katherine said.

"It's the least I can do to thank you for having me."

"Well we enjoyed having you. And we hope you come back soon."

"Definitely," Meredith said, with a big grin on her face. At that point in time, she finally felt accepted by all of Derek's family.

A/N: I'll probably have an update tomorrow around 11 maybe and then not again until Tuesday after school. REVIEW!


	31. We're Home

Chapter 31: We're Home

Meredith and Derek said goodbye to Katherine and Billy and left to go the airport. They returned their rental car and had some time to relax and get something to eat in the terminal. After a delay due to bad weather in Seattle and a long flight they finally got home.

Meredith had fallen asleep on the car ride home and Derek had to wake her up to be able to get all of their stuff inside the house.

"Mer." he said, tapping her gently. "We're home."

Meredith woke up and didn't say anything. She just got out of the car and grabbed her bags. They got into the elevator and went up to the penthouse. Meredith didn't even unpack anything before she was lying on the couch.

"Do you want something to eat? I need to go to the grocery store." Derek asked.

Meredith sat up knowing that it probably wouldn't be a good idea for her to go to sleep right then. It would just mess up her timing even more with the just being tired from everything they had down in Maine and the jet lag.

"Can you just get me a sandwich or something from the deli? I don't feel like going to the store, is that okay?"

"It's fine. Just relax, unpack, and call Cristina and Izzie. I'll be back in about a half hour."

"I love you Derek."

He turned around and smiled, "I love you too beautiful."

Derek left to go to the store and Meredith decided to first unpack. She put all of her dirty clothes in the wash and started the machine. She put her suitcase away and decided to give Cristina and Burke a call and let them know how the trip went and that they got home safely.

"Hello?"

"Burke. It's Meredith."

"Oh hey. Are you home?"

"Yeah. We just got in about a half hour ago. Derek went to the store to get us some food."

"How was it?"

"It was interesting. Things were a little rocky at first but they got better. Is Cristina there?"

"Yeah. Hold on a second."

"Thanks."

"You couldn't call me once while you were away?" came Christina's angry voice.

"Hey Cris" Meredith said trying not to laugh.

"So you met the family?"

"I did. They were really great. I just wanted to let you know that we got home safely and I was wondering if you wanted to have lunch with me tomorrow. I was going to ask Izzie too. I'll tell you both all about the trip."

"That sounds good. Burke and I were just about to eat dinner so I'll to you later."

"Bye."

Meredith hung up from that conversation and dialed Izzie's number to let her know as well that they were home and to invite her to lunch with Cristina.

"Hello?" said Izzie in her always-cheerful tone.

"Hey Iz. It's Meredith. We're home."

"Mer! How was the trip?"

"It was interesting. I can't really go into detail right now because Derek is going to be back from the store with our dinner but I was wondering if you wanted to have lunch with me and Cristina tomorrow and I'll tell you all about it."

"That sounds great. I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Bye Izzie."

Satisfied with her plans for the next day, Meredith hung up the phone. About 20 minutes later Derek came back with the groceries. While Derek made up a salad and few other things for their dinner, Meredith put the rest of the food away. They sat down at the table and started to eat.

"So, are you ready to go to back to work?" Derek asked, with his mouth full.

"Not even close. I just want to spend time with you. I got spoiled by all of our alone time and now that's all I want to do."

"I feel exactly the same way. I don't want to go back to the hospital."

"But you love your job and your surgeries."

"But I love you more."

Meredith grinned, "You trying to get lucky?"

"Maybe. Is it working?"

"Nope,"

Meredith said picked up her plate and walked over into the kitchen and put it in the sink. She didn't noticed Derek get up behind her and just as soon as she put her plate down and turned around Derek had picked her up and thrown her over his shoulder.

"Derek!" she squealed.

He ignored her yelling and dropped her down on the couch and crawled on top of her.

"Well. At least. We don't. Have. To Worry. About. Getting. Caught." Meredith said in between kisses.

Derek laughed, "That made it fun though."

"Maybe for you. It wasn't fun for me when I was trying to make a good impression on your family."

"They loved you anyway."

Meredith smiled. He was always able to reassure here no matter what it was about. She kissed him and they lay on the couch making out, both too tired to do anything else. When they finally came apart, all either of them could do was walk to bed and go to sleep.

A/N: This is kind of a filler chapter. Sorry that it sucks. I'll probably have one more this morning. There is some drama coming. Some Mer/Der drama. I hope everyone sticks with me because it's not going to be all happiness for a little while. Promise me you'll stay? Review please!


	32. Let Me Explain

A/N: Here's the promised drama…this isn't even close to what's going to happen though!

Chapter 32: Let Me Explain

Meredith went back to work at school and Derek went back to work at the hospital meaning that even though they lived together, they had less time to see each other. Things were a little tense between them because it seemed that every time they had a moment by themselves Derek's pager would go off and he would have to go into the hospital.

The next Monday was Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Meredith had the day off from school but Derek still had to work. Surgeries didn't stop just for a holiday. Meredith decided that she would go to the hospital around lunchtime and surprise Derek. She was hoping that he would have at least a half an hour to stop and eat with her.

Meredith got dressed, grabbed her purse and drove to the hospital. She went up to the receptionist.

"May I help you?" the woman said sweetly.

"I'm looking for Derek Shepherd."

"Would you like me to page him for you?"

"That would be great. Thank you."

Meredith sat down in the waiting area as the receptionist paged Derek. She sat there and waited and about 5 minutes later got up and told the receptionist that if Derek responded to the page she would be in the cafeteria. Meredith was disappointed that she wasn't able to find him because she wanted to surprise him with her visit. She definitely wasn't prepared for what she was going to see when she went into the cafeteria.

Derek was sitting at a table with another women laughing and flirting. Every so often they reach over and touch each other's arms. Meredith wanted to leave before Derek even saw that she was there but was unsuccessful. When he saw her running out the cafeteria he went after her.

"Meredith! Meredith, wait!" he said urgently.

She continued walking and he had to run to keep up with her. When he finally caught up with her, he stopped her and turned her around to face him.

"Please listen to me and let me explain."

"Explain? I don't think there's anything to explain Derek. You were having lunch and flirting with another woman. I had you paged and you didn't answer. I came to surprise you and have lunch with you but clearly you're busy, so I'm leaving. Goodbye." she said angrily and started to walk away.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Don't walk away."

"Don't walk away? Leave me the hell alone Derek."

"Meredith, please listen to me."

She turned to face him with an extremely pissed off look on her face.

"You have 1 minute," she said putting her hands on her hips.

Derek took a deep breath. "That woman is the sister of one my patients. That patient has an aneurysm the size of a golf ball that is going to be extremely difficult to operate on. She's worried sick and I thought the least I could do to help was to have lunch with her."

"She likes you Derek. You're McDreamy. Are you that stupid?" Meredith said.

"Don't call me stupid. I'm being a good doctor and I'm trying to keep the relative of my patient calm because in turn that will keep the patient calm and their prognosis is better if they have a positive attitude."

"You're keeping her calm by flirting with her?" she responded in a smart tone of voice.

"I'm not flirting with her. I'm having lunch with a woman whose brother is going to die if I don't perform surgery in the next 24 hours. But you're not a doctor so maybe you can't understand that."

"I can't believe you just said that to me. I'll be at my house tonight," Meredith said and walked away from him.

The moment the words had escaped Derek's lips he regretted saying them. He knew that he had to rectify the situation but had no idea how. He started by going back to the cafeteria and telling the woman that he couldn't continue their lunch. She seemed disappointed but at that point Derek didn't care. All he cared about was fixing the problem with Meredith. They had never had a fight like this so it made it harder to deal with.

Meredith ran out of the hospital in tears. She got in her car and sat there crying for 15 minutes. When she had finally calmed down enough to drive she went back to the house where she lived with Izzie and George before she moved in with Derek.

"Meredith? What are you doing here?" Izzie asked.

"Derek's an asshole," she answered, her mouth already full of one of Izzie's cupcakes.

"Tell me what happened," Izzie said sitting down next to Meredith.

"I have the day off from school today so I decided to go to the hospital and surprise Derek and have lunch with him. I had him paged and he didn't answer so I decided to go into the cafeteria and wait. When I got in there I saw him eating lunch with another woman, and they were so clearly flirting. So freaking clearly. I started to leave and he saw me. He said that she was a patient's sister and he was trying to keep her calm because it would be better for the patient. But he was being all flirty and touching her arm. I wanted to throw up."

"I hate to break it to you Mer, but he's right. If the person who's taking care of the patient is calm and relaxed the patient will be more positive and is more likely of surviving."

"I don't know Iz. The way they were looking at each other…it was like Derek didn't even think about me. And then he said maybe I didn't understand because I'm not a doctor. That was the icing on the cake"

"He loves you Meredith. I see the way that he looks at you. He's not a mean person. He was just caught up in the heat of the moment. Give him a chance okay?"

Meredith shook her head, "I'm not apologizing."

"I didn't say you had to apologize. Just give him a chance to explain."

"Fine," she said reluctantly.

Meredith got up and went into the living room to watch TV. It was about 2 o'clock in the afternoon and all that was on were soaps. She and Izzie sat there watching and screaming at the TV like they were involved in the characters lives, when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," Meredith said getting up off of the couch.

She walked to the door and saw Derek standing on the other side of the door holding a bouquet of red roses like he had brought her on their first date.

"Damn glass door," she said, opening it and letting him into the house.

"We need to talk," Derek said.

"That's for sure," Meredith said, taking the flowers.

They went into the kitchen to talk and Meredith put the flowers into a vase.

"I'm sorry about what I said to you Mer. It was way out of line and I wish I could take it back but I can't."

"That really hurt me Derek. I didn't think you were capable of saying something like that."

"I know, and again, I'm really sorry. I love you Meredith."

"I love you too," she said giving Derek a hug.

Meredith was still a little annoyed about what had happened in the afternoon but she decided that it would be best for her to go home with Derek and not avoid the problem. Plus, they would probably end up having really hot make-up sex.

A/N: Alrighty! This is going to be it until Tuesday night, so I hope you enjoy it!


	33. I Feel Threatened

A/N: So my friend is over but I still decided to update but it's going to be short – just a little something to hold you all over until tomorrow afternoon when I get home from school.

Chapter 33: I Feel Threatened

Derek and Meredith each drove separate cars on their way back to Derek's penthouse. They would have driven together but Meredith had to go to school in the morning and Derek had to be at the hospital first thing. They both got there at the same time and went up the elevator together. The ride was completely silent and a little bit awkward.

They finally got up to Derek's floor and he unlocked to door to the apartment. Meredith walked in, pushing past Derek and immediate plopped herself onto the big leather couch. She grabbed the remote and turned the TV on to continue the soap opera that she was watching before Derek had come to her house.

"Meredith, don't you think we should talk?" Derek said, sitting down on the other end of the couch.

"I think you should be quiet and let me watch my show."

"Don't be rude to me. I came over, gave you flowers and apologized and you sit here and just completely ignore me?"

"You think that you buying flowers and just saying 'I'm sorry' makes everything all better?"

"No, but I thought it was a start and then you come home and do this."

"Do what? I'm watching television. Can't we just talk in like a half an hour when it's over?"

"I'll be out on the balcony when you're ready to talk Meredith," Derek said, reluctantly.

"Okay Derek," Meredith replied, impatiently.

Derek was annoyed that Meredith had agreed to come to back to the penthouse and then was sitting around like they hadn't agreed to go home and talk. He didn't protest though because he knew that she probably needed a little bit of time to cool off.

About a half hour later, just as Meredith had said, she came out onto the balcony as Derek was reading the newspaper. He put down the paper when he saw her come outside.

"Glad you finally decided to come out."

"Finally?" she said annoyed, "I told it was going to be half an hour and it's been half an hour so don't even…"

Derek cut her off before she could finish her sentence, "Whoa. I didn't mean it like it. I just meant that I'm glad you decided to come out here and talk because I think we really need to have a discussion."

"Yea, we do," she said, sitting down in the chair across from Derek.

"So, will you let me talk and not interrupt?"

Meredith nodded her head.

"Okay. First of all, I am sorrier that you can even imagine about what I said to you today at the hospital. It just came out and I wish that I could take it back but I can't. The thing that upsets me is that you think that I was cheating on you and flirting with another woman. I thought you trusted me more than that to think something like that."

"It's not that I don't trust you Derek."

"Then what is it? Because it seemed that way to me."

"Not only are you an extremely sexy and successful neurosurgeon but you're also caring and kind and I'm absolutely sure that there are going to be other women who are attracted to you and I'm threatened by that. It's not that I don't trust you, it's that I don't trust the other women. When I see that, I get defensive and that's what I was so pissed off. Can you understand that?"

"I do understand that. But, there is no need for you to feel threatened. I love you. You're the one that I want to be with. Nobody else."

Meredith smiled, "I love you too Derek. And I'm sorry for making such a big deal out of nothing."

A/N: More tomorrow after school. Do you guys think I should keep updating as often as I have been or if I should do it every few days so that you guys are more into it and like waiting for it? Let me know and as always…REVIEW!


	34. Find A Way

A/N: I'm in really bad mood and maybe writing will make me feel better so you may get a few updates tonight, or maybe just one.

Chapter 34: Find A Way

After they had made up, Meredith decided to go back to her house for the night. She knew she wouldn't get much sleep if she stuck around Derek's apartment and she had to get up and go to school the next morning. Meredith also had parent-teacher conferences the next day and didn't want to look like a complete zombie.

When she got back to the house Izzie and George were sprawled out on the couch watching Deal Or No Deal, yelling at the television as if they were actually playing the game. She and Izzie had done the exact same thing when they had been watching soap operas that afternoon.

"I thought you were with Derek tonight," George said, when the show went to a commercial

"I was. But I decided to come home."

George just shrugged his shoulders and went into the kitchen to get some more snacks.

"Did you two have another fight?" Izzie asked.

"No. We made up."

"So, why did you come home?"

"Because if I hadn't I would have been all night having…"

Izzie cut her off, "Okay okay. I get it. I don't need to hear about all the sex you're having with a man who I currently work with and is sort-of my boss."

"Alright," Meredith said laughing, "I'm going to go to bed. I have parent-teacher conferences tomorrow. My least favorite day of the year."

"Goodnight," Izzie and George said in unison as Deal Or No Deal started again.

Meredith wait upstairs and just as she was about to get into bed her cell phone rang. She didn't even bother to look at the caller ID because she figured it was Derek.

"Hello?"

"I miss you."

Meredith smiled when she heard his voice, "I miss you too. I'm so sorry we fought."

"But if we hadn't fought, we wouldn't have been able to have amazing make-up sex."

"Then we should fight more often."

"Definitely. I just wanted to call and wish you luck with your meetings tomorrow. I probably won't be able to talk to you late at night because I'm doing a seminar all day."

The same disappointment that Meredith had every time Derek got paged while they were together and had to leave washed over her. When she didn't answer Derek got worried.

"You still here?"

"Yea, I'm here," she said, a bit defeated.

"Meredith? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I was just hoping to spend time to you tomorrow afternoon after my conferences."

"I'm sorry. I wish I could. I'll call you when I'm done though."

"Okay."

"Goodnight. I love you."

"I love you too."

Meredith hung up the phone. She had been really happy when she got home because she and Derek had made up from their huge fight but she definitely wasn't in a good mood anymore. She knew that surgery was his job and that he was amazing at it, but it was interfering with their relationship and she didn't know how much longer she could take it.

Meredith crawled into bed and decided to call her brother and check on the Melissa and the new baby.

"Hello?" Jason yelled into the phone, trying to overcome the noise of a screaming toddler and a crying baby.

"Jase. It's Meredith. Is this a bad time?"

"Meredith! Yea it is kind of bad. Kyle has a fever and the baby won't stop crying."

"Do you want me to come over and help?"

"Could you? Melissa is just worn out and I don't know what to do"

"Yeah. I'll be there in 20 minutes."

Meredith went downstairs, explained to George and Izzie where she was going, grabbed her coat and drove to her brother's house. When she got there, she could hear all of the screaming from outside and rang the doorbell. Melissa came and opened the door.

"Meredith. Thank you so much for coming."

"No problem Mel. What can I do?"

"Can you make up a bottle for the baby? I'm about to change his diaper and Jason is trying to get Kyle to take some medicine so his fever will go down."

"No problem. And when I'm done, you're going to go to bed and Jason and I are going to handle everything."

"Are you sure? Don't you have school tomorrow."

"Yes, I do have school tomorrow and yes I am sure. Now go change that diaper so you can get to sleep."

Melissa hurried off to change the baby's diaper and Meredith went into the kitchen to make up a bottle. In the kitchen, Jason was trying to bribe Kyle to take some medicine to reduce his fever. Kyle had his hand clamped over his mouth and was shaking his head vehemently while Jason was offering him every toy ever made to just swallow the medicine. Meredith made up the bottle and went and kneeled down next to Kyle.

"Kyle. Don't you feel bad? When I have a fever I always feel really yucky."

He shook his head up and down, "I don't feel good. But I don't want the yucky medicine!"

"Nobody likes medicine. But I take my medicine when I'm sick and it will only taste yucky for a second and soon you'll feel all better. So will you take it for Auntie Meredith?"

After a few minutes of begging and groveling, Kyle finally took the medicine. About 20 minutes afterwards he started to feel drowsy and Jason took him upstairs and put him to bed and Melissa went to bed as soon as Kyle did. Jason was holding the baby and sitting next to Meredith on the couch, while they tried to get baby Lexie to go to sleep.

"So how are things with you and Derek?" Jason asked as he burped the baby.

"Oh. Fine," Meredith answered, knowing that she wasn't telling the whole truth.

"Fine? I know that voice Mer. What's wrong?"

"Are you really sure that you want to hear about your sister's relationship problems?"

"Sure. You came over here to help me tonight and in turn I will help you with any problems that may need fixing. So lay it on me."

Meredith took a deep breath, "Things haven't been the same since we got home from Maine. We had a great time even though things with his parents were a little rocky at first. Ever since we've been back, I see him less and less and he's at the hospital more and more."

"That's all? He's busy? That's why you're so distressed?"

"That's not it. I've just become really jealous. I didn't have school today so I went to the hospital to surprise him and have lunch together. But when I got there, I saw him with another woman and I thought they were flirting and I freaked out. We had a huge fight and we both said some really awful things."

"Did you talk about?"

"Yeah. We made up. So then I went home and he called me to wish me luck on my parent teacher conferences tomorrow and I assumed that we would spend some time together tomorrow night but, no, he has a seminar to go to."

"Meredith, that's his job. Just like you're a teacher, he's a doctor. You love him don't you?"

"More than anything."

"Then if you love him as much as you say you do, you'll find a way to get past it. You have to accept those things about him because they aren't going to go away."

"Yeah. I guess so," Meredith admitted.

When the baby was finally asleep, she said goodbye to her brother and went home for the night knowing full well that she would be exhausted and preoccupied during her conferences the next day.

A/N: I know there's not a lot of Derek in this but I'm kind of running out of ideas right now. I know what I want to happen soon, but I don't know how to lead up to it so bear with me and, of course…REVIEW!


	35. Exhausted and Distracted

A/N: Sorry that I couldn't update earlier. I had a doctor's appointment right after school.

Chapter 35: Exhausted and Distracted

The next morning, as expected, Meredith was completely exhausted. After spending a few hours trying to help her brother, and being with Derek before that, she hadn't gotten to bed until after midnight and she had to deal with 15 parents with tons of questions about curriculum and their student's progress.

Meredith eventually rolled out and bed and got up and took a quick shower. She got dressed and went downstairs where there was hot coffee and a fresh muffin, baked by Izzie, waiting for her. She put the coffee in a travel mug, wrapped the muffin up in a paper towel and left for school.

As Meredith arrived to school, Derek was also arriving to the hospital. He had a few patients to check on before the seminar on Alzheimer's began. He made sure that all of his patients who he had performed surgery on were stable and went to get something to eat before he had to spend the whole day listening to lectures.

When he got to the cafeteria he saw Burke and decided to sit with him until he had to go. Burke realized that Derek seemed distracted and not all there.

"Derek, is something wrong? You seem distracted."

"I'm okay I guess. Things with Meredith are a little bit rocky. We had a big fight yesterday and then made up, but something's just not right," Derek responded, shaking his head.

"That's hard to believe. You two seem so…perfect. Why did you fight, if you don't mind me asking?"

"She had the day off yesterday and came to the hospital to have lunch with me and say me eating lunch with the sister of a patient and assumed I was cheating on her. Then later in the night, she got angry that I wouldn't be able to spend time with her this afternoon because of the seminar."

"I'm sorry. If there's anything I can do let me know. I have to go into surgery but page me if you need me."

"Thanks," Derek answered as Burke got up and left the table.

Derek finished eating, threw his trash away and went upstairs to the conference rooms. He decided to call Meredith before it started just to say good morning.

At school, Meredith was preparing all the paperwork and information that she needed for her first conference, when her cell phone rang. She didn't even take the time to look at who was calling because she was in such a hurry.

"Hello?"

"Hey Mer. It's me."

"Oh. Hi Derek."

"Don't sound so happy to hear from me," he said a bit annoyed.

He knew that she was going to have a busy day but so was he and at least he took the time out to call her and say good morning and to wish her a good day.

"It's not that I'm not happy to talk to you. I'm just really busy and a little stressed out. I'm sorry."

"You don't sound that sorry. You sound like you have more important things to do then say hello to your boyfriend who loves you and misses you."

"You know that's not true Derek."

"Well it seems like it from the sound of your voice."

"I don't have time to fight with you right now and I don't want to have another fight with you. I have a set of parents coming in 10 minutes and I need to get ready. I'll call you later okay?"

"I'm busy later. I told you I have a seminar."

"Okay, fine. I'm done with my meetings at 3:00 so you can call me whenever you have time after that."

"Love you Meredith."

"I love you too."

This conversation was not the way that either of them had wanted to start the morning. Meredith knew that she was being pissy and Derek knew that he was being confrontational but things were tense at the time and it seemed like that was how everything came out.

Derek shut his phone and went into the meeting that had already started. He slipped in unnoticed and sat there not paying attention to what the speaker was saying but thinking of what to do about the problem with Meredith.

Meredith let out a sigh of frustration and decided to put those issues out of her mind for the time being because she couldn't be distracted during her conferences. Parents noticed everything and boy problems were definitely not a reasonable excuse to them as to why she wasn't doing the best she could in talking about her students. The receptionist came in to tell her that Jack Harris parents were waiting. She turned her cell phone off and went to the office to begin her day.

At lunch time, Derek was feeling bad that he hadn't paid much attention to the seminar. He had taken a great interest in Alzheimer's research and now he wasn't contributing anything. He decided to go to the ferryboats during his lunch break to try and clear his head.

When he got there, he was surprised to see Addison standing at the front of the boat. Derek tried to sneak away before she saw him, but she saw him out of the corner of her eye.

"Well, well, well. Look who it is."

"Addison," Derek said, acknowledging her.

"Where's your little girlfriend?" she said rudely.

"Work."

From Derek's distractedness and his stark one word answers, Addison sensed that something was wrong.

"Uh oh. Trouble in paradise?"

"That's none of your business."

"Why are you so hostile Derek?"

"Hostile? You cheated on me, insult my girlfriend and now you expect me to be nice to you? Are you delusional?"

"Derek…"

He cut her off before she could continue.

"I don't want to hear it," Derek said walking away.

He needed to head back to the hospital for the end of the seminar. He looked at his watch and noticed that it was only 1:30 meaning it was too early to call Meredith. Derek wanted to meet up with her and talk because he wanted nothing more than to work out the issues they were currently having. He decided that no matter what point they were at, at 3:00 he would leave and go to Meredith's. He just hoped that she would be there and was willing to talk to him.

Meredith finished her last conference for the day. Despite the day's distractions and her late night, all of the meetings went very well. She didn't have much to complain about because her students were very well behaved and their parents were also very nice people.

Her students left at 2:30 and she sat at her desk trying to think of what do. She finally decided and called Derek to leave him a message.

"Hi Derek. It's Meredith. I know you're at your seminar thing but I just wanted to call you and leave a message. We really need to talk so call me back when you get this."

When Derek heard this message, he got very worried. "We need to talk" are the worst words that you can hear from your girlfriend. He then noticed that she didn't say I love you at the end of the message and he had a really bad feeling about what was going to come when they talked later that night.

A/N: Drama drama drama. How do you all like it? Things are going to get bad, but I promise they will get better. REVIEW!


	36. It's Too Painful

A/N: I'm really sad because next Friday is the homecoming game at my old school where everyone runs around and celebrates being a senior but now I go to special school and won't get to do that…so I'm depressed. I don't know why you all have to hear about my personal problems so maybe I should just write…

Chapter 36: It's Too Painful

Meredith left school knowing exactly what she needed to do. She was going to end things with Derek. She loved him with all of her heart but things weren't the way that they should be. Every time they were together and he got paged and had to leave it hurt more and more and she couldn't take it anymore. She knew that breaking up would be painful but that pain would go away and she couldn't stand the constant pain of him leaving and the worrying that he was going to leave.

Meredith waited for about a half an hour and then left to go to Derek's building. He had just gotten home from the hospital about 20 minutes before and had just enough time to take a quick shower. He hoped that would calm him down and keep him calm while they talked. Just as he was finished getting dressed there was a knock at the door and he went to answer it. He opened the door and didn't say anything.

"Hi Derek," she said, and stayed in the doorway.

"Are you going to come in or are we going to have this conversation in the hallway?"

Meredith hesitated before finally walking into the apartment. She felt a little uncomfortable and unsure about what she was about to do.

"So, you wanted to talk?" Derek said.

"Yeah, I did. I've been doing a lot of thinking today Derek. I've been thinking about us and what's been going on."

"Meredith, I…"

"No, let me talk. If I don't get this out now, I never will…I don't think that I can do this anymore. I can't take the fighting and the arguing and the jealousy. And most of all, I can't talk the not knowing whether you're going to be there or not. Every time we're together I worry about whether your pager is going to go off and you're going to leave me all alone. It hurts me everything that happens, and each time, it gets worse and worse and I can't do it anymore."

"What are you saying?" Derek asked, knowing exactly what she meant, but not wanting to believe it.

"I can't be with you anymore," she said, holding back tears.

"Meredith, you don't mean that."

"I do mean it. I can't take it anymore."

"You can't take being in love with me?"

At this point, Meredith started crying.

"We can't be together anymore. It's too painful."

"I don't understand why you're doing this. I know that things haven't been great recently and that we've been fighting and we haven't been seeing each other as much…I just don't know what to say. I'm in love with you."

"I know you are. But this just isn't working. Derek, I'm not getting any younger. I want to get married and have children."

"I want those things to."

"You're married to your job."

"You know that's not true."

"It's not true? You spend half of your life at the hospital."

"I'm a surgeon. That's part of my life."

"I know it is. But it can't be a part of mine anymore."

"I can't accept this Meredith. I know you still love me. You can't just walk away from this…from us."

"I can't do this Derek. I have to go."

Before Meredith could walk out the door, Derek walked over and stood in front of it so Meredith couldn't leave. She was in tears and Derek had no idea what to do to comfort her or to convince her to change her mind.

"I can't just let you walk out that door. I know you love me. You can't look me in the eyes and tell me that you don't love me. If you can, I'll let you go, but I know that you can't."

Derek was right. Meredith had to keep her eyes on the floor because she knew that if she looked up into Derek's piercing and pleading eyes she would take him in her arms and change her mind but before long the pain that she had been feeling recently would return.

"You have to let me go. I need to start over without you."

"If you think that I'm just going to let you walk out on me then you're wrong. We're supposed to be together Meredith. I have never felt this strongly about someone in my life. I know we're having some problems right now, but all relationships have problems. We can work through it."

"I…don't…love you…anymore."

Meredith had never lied about something as serious as this before. But he was right; she couldn't look him in the eyes and say it. She had to force herself to say just so Derek would let he leave. Before he could stop her she went out the door and got in the elevator. Derek slammed the door and banged his fist on the wall.

Meredith got in the elevator and slid down to the floor, unable to stop crying. When she got to the garage, she pulled herself together enough to drive home. Izzie and George were in the kitchen eating when Meredith came into the house and ran up the stairs. They both looked at each other, having no idea what was going on.

"I'll go check on her," Izzie said, getting up from the table.

When she went into Meredith's room she saw her laying in bad in the fetal position, clutching her pillow, her whole body racked with sobs.

"Mer? What's going on?"

When she didn't answer, Izzie went over and sat down on the bed next to her. Eventually Meredith sat up and looked at her, her face red and her eyes bloodshot and puffy.

"Derek and I broke up."

A/N: I know this is sort of short but it was necessary. But, don't worry everyone! Please continue reading because I promise happy will come again. Promise to keep reading! I had a hard time writing this. What do you all think about the writing, not just the story? REVIEW!


	37. Miserable

A/N: Sorry I haven't updated recently. I had to work last night and didn't get up until late today. Um…I loved Thursday's episode. Especially the date part and the part when they're all checking into the hotel. And the Burke and Cristina chicken thing, I thought that was absolutely hilarious. And Addison slapping McSteamy…I loved the whole thing!

Chapter 37: Miserable

A few days later, Izzie went over to Derek's apartment to pick up some of Meredith's things. Meredith had asked her to do it for her because she knew that if she had seen the pain in Derek's eyes she would have immediately gotten back together with him.

Derek had called in sick to work that day because he had gone for the past two and wasn't able to concentrate on his work. He hadn't shaved and looked a complete mess when he heard a knock on the door. Hoping it was Meredith, he shot up out of his chair only to see Izzie when he opened the door.

"Hi…Derek…"she said, in an apologetic tone.

Izzie knew how much the both of them were hurting was wondering why they didn't just get back together. She had assumed that the break-up would only last a few days but when it hadn't, she realized that it was permanent.

"Izzie. What the hell are you doing here?"

"I'm just here to pick up Meredith's things. Don't be mad at me."

"I'm sorry. I'm just…so, she really doesn't want to be with me?"

"I don't know Derek."

"She hasn't said anything to you? Is she upset?"

"Of course she's upset. She's heartbroken."

"I don't understand," Derek said, running his hands through his hair.

"I'll be honest with you, I don't understand it either. She just asked me to come here and pick up her things."

"Oh right…come in."

Izzie stood in the kitchen while Derek went into his bedroom to get the box full of Meredith's things. The trash looked like it hadn't been taken out in days and was full of soda cans, beer bottles and fast food containers. Derek came back and handed her a box full of clothes and other things that belonged to Meredith.

"Thanks Derek. I'm…I'm really sorry. Just so you know."

"Yeah. Me too. Um…could you tell Meredith that I want to talk to her? I don't want to call her because I'm afraid she'll get angry."

"Sure."

Izzie left the apartment with all of the stuff. She thought that Meredith was in a bad way but couldn't believe how awful Derek looked. She knew that they were in love but not like this and still didn't completely understand why they had broken up.

She put the box in the car and drove home. When she got there she decided to have a serious talk with Meredith who had barely left her room since the break up. She, like Derek, had called in sick to work, but Meredith had called in sick every day. When Izzie got into her room, Meredith was lying on her bed reading a book.

"Hey Mer," she said, leaning against the doorframe.

"Did you get my stuff?" she said, without a hello or even looking up.

"Yeah I did. The box is downstairs."

"Thanks."

"Meredith, are you sure that this is what you want?"

"What do you mean?" Meredith asked a little annoyed.

"I mean that you both seem absolutely miserable. He looked like he hadn't showered or shaved in days and his apartment looks like a garbage dump. You've barely left this room and none of us knows what to do to help. Why don't you just drop this and get back together with him."

"No," she said getting up and leaving the room, "It's over."

Izzie followed her to the kitchen.

"Meredith, I don't know why you're doing this. You obviously love him and he loves you. It's not like he cheated on you."

"He might as well have. The hospital was like his second girlfriend."

"That's his job Mer. You knew that he was a surgeon when you started dating him and you know what kind of hours I lead."

"Izzie, please drop it. It's not going to change. We're done. I'm going to go out for a little while."

"Wait. Before you go, Derek said to ask you to call him. That's the last thing I'm going to say.

Meredith just looked at Izzie and then walked out of the kitchen grabbed her jacket and keys and left before anybody could say anything else to her.

After Izzie had gone, Derek had decided that he needed some fresh air and thought that there was no better place to go to than the ferryboats. Just as he was about to leave his apartment, the phone rang.

"Hello?" he said, praying that it was Meredith but knowing that he shouldn't get his hopes up.

"Derek? It's Preston."

"Preston? Oh…Burke. Hi."

"What's wrong with you? You sound like you got hit by a truck."

"You haven't heard?"

"Heard what? What's wrong?"

"Meredith and I aren't together anymore."

"Oh. No I hadn't heard, but I'm sorry. What happened?"

"I wasn't around as much as I should've been. Do you remember when I told you about the fight that Meredith and Addison had in the hallway and Addison said that as the time went on I would get less attentive and I told Meredith that it wasn't true? Well, it turns out that I'm a big liar."

"I don't know what to say. Have you tried talking to her and apologizing?"

"She doesn't want to talk to me. She doesn't want anything to do with me. She even sent Izzie over here to pick up her things."

"Did you ever think it's because she's in pain and it would hurt more if she saw you?"

"I don't know. I was about to go out. I need some fresh air."

"Okay, then I'll let you go. Hope to see you back at the hospital tomorrow."

"Yeah. Thanks," Derek said, and hung up.

A/N: .So, things aren't going to be happy with Meredith and Derek in this story right away, but it will get better. Promise you'll stick with me! REVIEW!


	38. A Thing For Doctors

Disclaimer: I don't own Finn or Callie or any of the characters I'm borrowing from the show. I'm just borrowing…

A/N: Where are my reviews? …..This chapter is going to jump ahead a bit. Oh, and I might borrow a few aspects from the show, such as McVet and Callie. I guess the only difference is George, Cristina and Meredith aren't interns.

Chapter 38: A Thing For Doctors

About a month later, both Derek and Meredith were attempting to move on. They thought about each other all the time and still felt the pain of their break up but not as much. Meredith still sometimes wondered whether she had made the right decision and picked up the phone several times to call Derek but just as she was about to dial she changed her mind and hung up.

Meredith had been taking almost daily rides on the ferryboats that Derek loves so much and had introduced her to. It was surprising that they hadn't run into each other there .Being out on the water with the fresh air, cleared Meredith's mind and helped her think clearly. On one of her ferry days, she was standing at the front of the boat, just watching the water splash up, when a man started to talk to her.

"You look like you need some company," he said.

Meredith turned around to see a very handsome man, not as handsome as Derek, but still good looking, standing a few feet away from her.

"You have no idea," she answered, turning back around to watch the water.

"I love the ferryboats," he said walking over to her. "There's just something about them. When you're here, nothing else really matters. I'm Finn," he said, sticking out his hand.

Meredith hesitated for a moment before shaking his hand.

"Meredith," she said, introducing herself.

Finn and Meredith talked for about a half hour. She learned that Finn was a vet who had his own practice and he said that if her pet was ever sick she should come to him. Meredith stopped herself before telling him that her previous boyfriend was a doctor too. They exchanged numbers and they each went their separate ways. Meredith was happier than she'd been in a while and Finn seemed like a great guy who she could eventually see herself dating.

After school and her ferry ride, she went home where George was getting ready for a date. He had broken up with Carol, who had been dating around the time of Cristina and Burke's wedding and was now going out with an ortho surgeon who Izzie had introduced him to. She walked into the bathroom as he was shaving and sat down on the ledge of the bathtub.

"You seem happy," George said, looking at Meredith.

"Yeah. I am. I had a really good day. I was on a ferryboat ride and I met this really sweet guy."

"A new guy? That's great Mer. What's his name?"

"Finn Dandridge. He's a veterinarian."

"You have a thing for doctors, don't you?"

Meredith glared at George, "Not funny."

"So you're completely over Derek?" George asked.

"I'm completely over Derek," she said, knowing that it wasn't the truth because she still thought about him almost every day.

"That's great. I hope that things go well with him."

"Yeah. Me too. I think that we're just going to take things slowly because Derek and I moved so fast."

"As much as I'd like to say and talk about your new love interest, I have a date."

"With the girl Izzie introduced you to? Who has a thing for doctor's now?"

George just looked at Meredith and rolled his eyes and then left to go on his date. Meredith laughed at him and then decided to go call Cristina and tell her about Finn.

"Hello?"

"Hey Cristina."

"Hi Mer. Wow, you sound happy. What's wrong with you?"

"Why is everybody saying that?"

"Um, because you've been moping around for the past month and now all of a sudden you sound cheerful. What's going on?"

"I met a guy."

"You met a guy? Where did you meet this guy?"

"On the ferryboat."

"You met a guy on a ferryboat?"

"I did. His name is Finn Dandridge and he's a vet."

"You're dating a vet? You're going from dating a neurosurgeon to dating a vet? You're moving down the doctor chain."

"I'm not dating him…at least not yet."

"Seriously? You're going from McDreamy to McVet? Are you sure you're okay?"

Meredith laughed, "I'm sure. I actually have to go call him. I'll call you tomorrow okay?"

"Yeah. Okay. Bye."

Still laughing Meredith hung up. She was about to dial Finn's number when Derek popped into her head. She quickly hung up the phone and went downstairs to make something to eat just as Izzie was coming in to the house. She looked a little down but Meredith just wrote it off as if she was tired from her residency.

"Hey Iz. Want something to eat? I was going to make a grilled cheese."

"No, I'm not hungry. I've been working on this case. This woman was pregnant with twins and we were operating today and both she and the twins died."

"I'm sorry. Is there anything I can do?"

"Hurry up and get out of my kitchen so that I can bake. You know baking makes me feel better."

Meredith laughed, "Okay."

She made herself a grilled cheese sandwich and went upstairs to try and call Finn again. She dialed his number and ignored the feeling in the pit of her stomach that she was betraying Derek.

"Dandridge Veterinary Clinic"

"Finn, it's Meredith."

"Oh. Hey Meredith. I didn't think you would call so soon. It's a nice surprise."

"I'm glad I could surprise you."

"I'm glad you did."

Finn was such a sweet guy. He seemed like the guy who would comfort you when you're upset, bring you chicken soup when you're sick and go golfing with your father when he needed another player.

"Are you free tonight?" he asked.

"I am actually."

"How about dinner?"

"I just ate. Grilled cheese sandwich, actually."

"Well, then, how about dessert?"

"Dessert sounds great."

"Alright. I'll pick you up at 9."

After giving Finn her address, Meredith hung up and went downstairs to check on Izzie. The smell of chocolate cupcakes had already wafted upstairs and Meredith thought that maybe she and Finn could just stay in for dessert but she was pretty sure that that wasn't what he had in mind when he had asked her out.

"How's the baking going?" Meredith asked, seeing that she had already finished making one batch of chocolate cupcakes and was now working on some muffins.

"I feel better already."

"That's great Iz. I just wanted to let you know that I'm going out tonight. Just for a little while though, because I know that you're upset and I want to be here for you."

"Going out? With someone?"

"Yea," Meredith said with a smile. "I was on a ferryboat ride today and I met this really sweet guy named Finn. He's a vet."

"He's a vet?"

"Yes, a vet. As in he saves kittens and puppies for a living."

"I'm happy you met someone Mer. It's time that you moved on."

"Yea, you're right. Finn's really sweet and caring and…"

"Meredith, are you sure you're over Derek? Because they way you sound talking about Finn, it sounds like you're trying to convince yourself of him."

"No. It's just…okay, maybe a little bit. But, it's understandable right? I mean, Derek and I were together for almost 6 months and…"

"I understand. You don't have to explain it to me. You just have to be honest with Finn."

"I will. I have to go get ready now."

Meredith grabbed a cupcake and headed upstairs to get ready for her date. She changed her clothes and put on a little make-up and for once in her life was ready for a date on time. She had made Derek wait countless times for her during the time that they were together.

Before she knew it, it was 9'oclock and Finn was knocking on the door. Izzie was already downstairs so she opened to door.

"You must be Finn."

"That's me."

"Come on in. Meredith will be right down."

"Thanks."

"Do you want a cupcake while you wait for her?" Izzie asked, going back into the kitchen.

"Normally, I never turn down chocolate but we're going out for dessert so I'll have to take a rain check."

"I'm ready to go," Meredith said, walking into the kitchen.

"You look great."

"Thanks. You ready?"

"Yep. I'll see you later Iz. Call me if you need me."

Finn and Meredith left the house and got into his car. They went to a little café that reminded Meredith of the restaurant that Derek had taken her to for dessert on New Years. After a short wait, they were seated.

"Finn, I have to be honest with you."

"About?" he asked, a bit nervous.

Finn really liked Meredith. He was afraid that she was going to tell him some secret like she was married and they couldn't date.

"Myself. About a month ago, I broke up with a guy that I had been with for about 6 months. We were very much in love, but things just weren't working. I just want to be honest with you that I may not be completely over him, but I want to move on. I want to move on with you."

"I appreciate your honestly. And in turn, I'll do the same. I was married. My wife, she was killed in a car accident. I've barely dated since she passed away but I really like you."

Meredith smiled at him, "I liked you too."

A/N: This is my longest chapter yet. I was really disappointed that I only got one review for the last chapter. So I hope I get more for this one. I hope people didn't stop reading because Mer and Der broke up. I probably won't update again tonight because I'm watching the Tigers-Yankees because I am a true anti-Yankee fan so that is going to consume my evening.


	39. Trying To Move On

A/N: I am one happy girl right now because the New York Yankees have just been eliminated and I have very much joy. Anyways…I probably won't be able to update until Monday afternoon so I'm giving you another chapter tonight. I need more reviews though, lol. Reviews make me want to write more.

Chapter 39: Trying To Move On

Meredith and Finn's dessert date was really nice. Finn told Meredith about his wife and Meredith told Finn about Derek and what had gone wrong in their relationship. One thing that she knew for sure was that what happened to break up her and Derek wouldn't happen for her and Finn because his job wasn't nearly as demanding.

After their date, Finn drove Meredith back to her house and walked her up to the door.

"I had a lot of fun tonight Finn. Thank you."

"It was my pleasure. I hope we can do it again but maybe include dinner at a nice restaurant."

Meredith smiled, "I'd love to."

"I'll call you," he said, and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Goodnight Meredith."

"Goodnight Finn."

Finn smiled back at Meredith and then walked down the path back to his car and drove away. She watched his car go down the street until she couldn't see him anymore and then went inside. George and Callie were sitting in the kitchen having dessert.

"Hey George."

"I thought you were on a date with the vet," George said with his mouth full.

"I was. Now I'm home."

"Okay, well first, this is Callie," he said gesturing towards her. "Second, Izzie told me to tell you that she went to bed and third, she told me to tell you that Derek called.

"What?"

Meredith didn't know how to react when she heard what George said. She had been on a date with Finn and was trying to move on from Derek and just when she thought she was Derek calls.

"Derek called. He wants you to call him back."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

Meredith sighed, "Okay, well I better do that. I'm going to go upstairs. It was nice to meet you, Callie. Goodnight George."

Meredith went upstairs, looked in on Izzie and then went into her own room and closed the door. She sat down on her bed, took a deep breath and then picked up the phone and dialed Derek's number.

"Derek Shepherd," said the very familiar voice.

"Derek, it's…Meredith. Izzie said you called."

"Hi. I didn't think you'd call me back."

"Well, I did."

"I'm glad you did. It's nice to hear your voice."

"Why did you call me?"

"I just wanted to see if you were okay. I mean, I know that when Izzie came over to get your stuff she said that you were pretty miserable and so was I and I just wanted to see how you were."

"I'm doing really well."

Meredith decided not to tell Derek about Finn because she knew that he would get protective and start asking a million questions even thought it was none of his business.

"I'm really glad."

Neither of them said anything for about a minute and it was pretty awkward. That had never happened to them even when they first began dating.

"Meredith, I miss you."

"I can't do this. I have school in the morning so I have to go to bed. Goodnight Derek."

Before Derek could say anything else, Meredith hung up. She lay down her bed and started crying. She must have been loud because before she knew it Izzie came into her room. Meredith wiped the tears away.

"Izzie? What are you doing awake?"

"I heard you crying. What's wrong?"

"I'm not crying. Nothing's wrong. Everything's fine."

"That's crap. Tell me what's going on."

"I called Derek back. He wanted to 'check on me.' Then he started to say that he missed me but I told him I had to go and hung up before he could say anything else. I was trying to move on with Finn. I like Finn. He's really sweet."

"What do you want to do Meredith?"

"I can't be with Derek. He hurt me. I like Finn. I want things to work out with Finn."

"Well okay then."

"I'm sorry I woke you up Iz."

"Don't worry about it. I'm going to back to bed and you should go to sleep too."

"Yeah, you're right. Goodnight Izzie. I'll see you in the morning."

Izzie gave Meredith a hug and walked out of her room, closing the door. Meredith crawled under the covers and closed her eyes, but sleep didn't come. The only thing she saw when she closed her eyes was Derek's face.

The next day at the hospital, Derek was just going through the motions. The conversation that he had with Meredith the night before gave him the nagging feeling that she had moved on and was seeing someone else. She had sounded happy and Derek hadn't yet reached that point in moving on from her and didn't know if he would. He was just happy that she had even called him back.

After some thinking, he decided that it was time for him to move on too. He had met several women since he and Meredith split up but hadn't been able to bring himself to ask them for their numbers let alone ask them out on a date.

Derek decided that tonight was the night that was going to meet someone new. He was going to ask Burke if he wanted to come with him, just for moral support. When he finally found Burke, he was in the cafeteria having lunch with Cristina.

"Hey Burke, Cristina," he said, sitting down at their table.

"Derek," Cristina and Burke said at the same time.

"Burke, I was wondering if you wanted to go out tonight with me? Maybe get a drink or something?"

"He can't," Cristina said, "We're having dinner with Meredith and McVet."

Cristina hadn't realized what she said until she said it. Part of her wanted him to know that Meredith was seeing someone knew because she knew that neither of them was truly happy, and another part of her assumed that Derek already knew about the vet.

"McWhat?"

"You don't know, do you?" Cristina said.

"Know about what?" Derek said, beginning to get annoyed.

"Meredith is dating a vet. His name is Finn. We're going over to Finn's tonight to have dinner with them. So, Burke can't go out with you."

"Oh okay. Well, thanks for the…information."

As quickly as Derek had sat down, he got up. That feeling that he had the night before that Meredith was seeing someone else was justified because it was true. He vowed that tonight he would find someone new just as she had done.

A/N: That's going to be it for tonight. I might have more tomorrow morning but I'm not sure. I'm going to get a haircut and then I have to work in the afternoon so it depends on what time I get home from getting my hair done.


	40. You're Okay

A/N: You all are asking for Mer/Der happiness but that can't come right way but in order to get to it a bit quicker, this chapter is going to jump ahead a bit. Oh, and I'm taking something from the show…

Chapter 40: You're Okay

About a month later, Meredith and Finn were in a pretty serious relationship and Derek was dating a woman named Tiffany. From what Meredith had heard from Cristina, Tiffany was somewhat of a tramp and definitely a gold digger. Cristina didn't tell Meredith this but she was pretty sure that all Derek was trying to do with Tiffany was make Meredith jealous, and it was currently not working.

One night, Meredith and Finn were just relaxing at his apartment, watching a movie and eating take-out when Meredith's phone started to ring. When she heard the obnoxious noise, both she and Finn groaned. They were trying to have a quiet night alone without any interruption.

"Let it ring," Finn said, nuzzling Meredith's neck.

"I can't," Meredith said reaching for her phone, "Hello?"

"Meredith! It's Jason!"

Her brother was not only out of breath but he sounded extremely worried.

"Are you okay Jase? What's wrong?"

"Mom and Dad were in a car accident. You have to come to the hospital right away."

"What? What happened?"

"I'll explain when you get here. Just come to the hospital."

Meredith hung up the phone and jumped off of the bed.

"Meredith? What's going?" Finn asked confused as to what was happening.

"My parents were in an accident. I have to go to the hospital. Like right now."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"No. No, you just stay here. I'll call you when I have any news."

Meredith didn't even say goodbye. She grabbed her stuff and left Finn's apartment. She drove to the hospital faster than she had ever driven in her entire life. She walked into the hospital, not even thinking about the fact that Derek might be working. She asked the receptionist where her parents were and went to the right place.

When she got to the room, both her mother and father were conscious. They had some bruises and cuts but didn't look too seriously injured. Her brother was standing outside of the room on his cell phone.

"I'm here."

"Oh thank goodness."

"Jason, what's going on? Mom and Dad are both awake. They're just scraped. You made it sound like they were on the verge of death."

"I know and I'm sorry. I was just really worried and they wanted to make sure that you knew what happened. But there is something…"

"What? What's wrong?" Meredith asked, beginning to get worried because of the but and the sound of her brother's voice.

"Mom hit her head pretty hard. Every once in a while she can't remember some things. The doctors said it's probably just the concussion but they did an MRI and a CT just to be sure."

Meredith tensed up at the word doctor and the fact that her mother had a head injury. She knew that Derek was the best in the field but hoped that he wasn't her mother's doctor.

"Please tell me Derek isn't the doctor."

"No. He's not. But, Meredith, maybe you could talk to him and see…"

"No! I'm not doing that. Whatever doctor she has, I'm sure they're great. I'm going in to see Mom."

Later in the evening, Jason told Meredith that he had to go home because Melissa was having trouble getting both kids to bed and he would be back in the morning and call him if she needed anything or if things got worse. She was standing outside of her parent's room, about to call Finn and let him know what was going on when she heard Derek's voice.

"Meredith? What are you doing here?"

Meredith turned to see Derek coming down the hallway, in his scrubs, holding a few charts and obviously busy with other patients.

"It's uh…my parents. They got into a car accident."

"Are they alright?"

"Yeah, I think so. They're sleeping right now. My dad's okay and he should be released tomorrow. But my mom, she sometimes has memory lapses and they did a CT and an MRI but her doctors haven't given me the results yet."

"I can see if I can get that for you."

"No, that's okay. You're probably busy."

"Meredith, it's no problem."

"Don't worry about it. Just, ya know, go check on your other patients."

"Alright, but I'm going to come back and check on you."

Meredith just smiled at Derek and he walked away to go see his other patients. He couldn't bare to see her in pain like that, worrying about her parents. He checked on his other pre and post-op patients as quickly as possible and when he went back to check on Meredith, it was not the same scene as before.

The doctors were all hovering over Meredith's mother as all the machines she was hooked up to went crazy. Meredith was hysterical and the nurses were trying to get her to leave the room so the doctors could do what they needed to do. Right before Derek walked up, she left the room and ran down the hallway into a closet and Derek followed.

When he walked into the closet he saw her sitting on the floor, sobbing. He sat down on the floor next to her and rubbed her back, trying to get her to calm down.

"Shhh…It's alright. Just take deep breath's okay? Slowly. Just slow down. Deep breaths."

When her crying finally slowed down and she caught her breath, Meredith leaned over and rested her head on Derek's shoulder. She had missed the safe feeling of being in his arms. Finn made her comfortable, but she didn't feel the same way with him as she had with Derek and didn't know if she ever would.

Derek ran one hand through her hair and over her head and was holding her hand with the other. When they finally realized what was going on, Meredith sat up. She wiped her tear streaked face and just look at Derek and he stroked her cheek with his thumb and brushed her hair out of her eyes.

"I'm okay."

"You're okay," he responded.

Meredith stood up and was about to leave the closet when she turned around to look at Derek who was still sitting on the floor.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Meredith left the closet and left Derek sitting on the floor by himself.

A/N: So, I know this is the closet scene from the show, but I thought it was such a cute and emotional scene and it was a good way to start to bring them back together. REVIEW!!!!!


	41. You'll Never Be Alone

A/N: I'm posting another chapter tonight because I won't be able until Wednesday after school because I have to work tomorrow. I know absolutely nothing about the medical stuff in this, just made it up. And I'm including a song that I think fits Meredith and Derek perfectly and first the chapter perfectly so be sure to read the lyrics too.

Chapter 41: You'll Never Be Alone

Derek got off around 10:00 and decided that before he left the hospital he would go and check on Meredith. He had found out from the other neurosurgeon that the seizures that her mother had been having were caused by the swelling in her brain from the concussion and in a few days she would be fine and be released.

_The world is changing  
And time is spinning fast  
It's so amazing how you came into my life  
I know it seems all hope is gone  
I know you feel you can't be strong  
And once again the story ends with you and I_

When he finished checking on his patients and got to Meredith's mom's room, he saw Meredith sitting in a chair with a blanket and fidgeting, obviously trying to find a comfortable position to sleep in.

_And anytime you feel like you just can't go on  
Just hold on to my love  
And you'll never be alone_

"How are you doing?" he asked, leaning against the door frame.

He smiled at Meredith when she looked up at him. That McDreamy smile got her every time.

_Hold on  
We can make it through the fire  
And my love  
I'm forever by your side  
And you know_

_If you should ever call my name  
I'll be right there  
You'll never be alone_

"I'm doing okay. The doctors said that my mom's going to be okay so, I'm doing pretty good."

"Did they explain?" Derek asked walking into the room and pulling up a chair next to Meredith.

"Not really. They just said that she would be okay."

"She was having the seizures because of the swelling from the concussion. Once the swelling goes down and they monitor her closely, she'll be just fine."

The voice that Derek used to tell Meredith what was going on was totally calm and reassuring. Although the other doctors had told her that her mom was going to be just fine, she didn't completely believe it until he told her.

_Hopeless to describe  
The way I feel for you  
No matter how I try  
Words would never do  
I looked into your eyes to find  
As long as love is alive  
There ain't nothing we can't make it through_

"That makes more sense. The other doctor used all these technical terms that I had no idea what they meant. So, thank you."

"It's no problem. If you want, I'll take over your mom's case."

"No. That's okay. You probably have a lot of other patients and as long as she's going to be okay, then I'm going to be okay?"

"You sure about that?" he said, tilting his head and looking into her eyes with his piercing gaze.

That caring tone and that little tilt that he always did made Derek completely irresistible. Meredith had to keep herself from hugging him and kissing right then and there, with no thoughts of Finn whatsoever.

_Anytime, or if only for a while  
Don't worry  
Make a wish  
I'll be there to see you smile  
Oooh_

"I'm pretty sure. I'm just really tired. And there's hard as rock, uncomfortable hospital chairs aren't helping me get any sleep."

"Come here," Derek said, motioning to his lap.

"What?"

"Come sleep in my lap. I know it's not a nice cushy bed, but I would bet it's more comfortable then sleeping in the chair by yourself."

Meredith hesitated before getting up and then sitting back down in Derek's lap. She got as comfortable as was possible and laid her head on his shoulder. Although they had been apart for about 3 months, sitting on Derek's lap wrapped up in his arms was neither awkward nor uncomfortable for either of them.

_Hold on  
We can make it through the fire  
And my love  
I'm forever by your side  
And you know  
If you should ever call my name  
I'll be right there  
You'll never be alone_

"You're right. This is much more comfortable," Meredith said, settling in and molding her self to Derek's body.

One of Derek's arms instinctive went around her shoulder, while he stroked her head with the other.

_Through the fire, by your side  
I will be there for you so I'm, don't you worry  
(And you know, I'll be there)  
You'll never be a... alone  
_

"Goodnight Derek," Meredith said, half asleep.

"Goodnight Meredith," he responded, and kissed the top of her head.

Before long they were both asleep. Everybody who walked by the room and noticed the two cuddling in the chair, people who didn't even know them, smiled when they saw the two of them sound asleep. The nurses had known that Derek had dated Meredith and that he had a new girlfriend and they began whispering about how the woman whose room he was in wasn't his girlfriend, but his ex.

_Hold on  
we can make it through the fire  
and my love  
I'm forever by your side  
and you know  
if you should ever call my name  
I'll be right there  
oh baby, hold on_

The next morning, Derek won't up before Meredith but he couldn't move at all without waking her up, so he just sat there, watching her sleep peacefully and stroking her hair.

Meredith finally woke up about an hour later. She sat up and looked at Derek, rubbing her eyes sleepily. He laughed at the half conscious and confused look on her face.

"You awake Mer?" he asked, kissing the top of her head.

"Yeah, I'm awake. I haven't slept that well since we…for a really long time."

"Glad to be of service," Derek said, smiling that trademark smile again that always made Meredith melt.

"Did you sleep at all?"

Meredith had been worried that the weight of her sleeping on top of him would keep him up all night.

"I did, despite your obnoxiously loud snoring."

"I don't snore! I really don't…"

Derek, who had started laughing, cut her off, "Mer, I'm just kidding. You don't snore, and I slept just fine."

"Oh, okay. Because Finn says I snore."

The instant Meredith said Finn's name she regretted it. She had and Derek had been having a "moment" and she had to ruin it by bringing up her new boyfriend. Derek's face dropped at the mention of his name.

"Well he's lying, because you don't. You sleep like an angel."

"Promise?"

"I promise. How about we get some breakfast?"

"I'm not really hungry. Plus, I want to be here when my mom wakes up."

"Mer, you have to eat. You haven't eaten for almost 13 hours. Come on, I'll buy you breakfast," he said, as Meredith got up and straightened her clothes.

"Fine, but I have to go call my brother and Finn so I'll meet you in the cafeteria okay?"

Again, at the mention of Finn's name, Derek became jealous even though he was the one who had just spent the night with Meredith.

"Yeah, I'll see you there. Don't take too long."

Meredith smiled at him as he walked out of the room while she fished in her purse for her cell phone.

A/N: I love this chapter. I just think I wrote it really well and it's really sweet. The head tilt – that's the Derek lean. You all know what I mean? REVIEWS PLEASE! I may went until I get like 10-15 reviews to post another chapter b/c it seems the more I get the better ideas I get.


	42. I'll Call You

A/N: I got so many reviews for the last chapter and it made me soooo happy! Sorry I haven't updated since Monday but I've been busy with school and work. Also, Ellis is still Meredith's mom, but she's not the same person. She doesn't have Alzheimer's and she wasn't a negligent mom or a surgeon and she is still married to Thatcher. They never cheated and have a happy marriage.

Chapter 42: I'll Call You

Derek went to the cafeteria to wait for Meredith while she called Jason and Finn. He was jealous that she had another man to call but he had been the one to spend the night with her that night and felt like maybe things were going back to the way that they used to be.

Meredith went into the lobby to make her phone calls so she wouldn't wake up her mom. She decided to call her brother first.

"Hello?"

"Hey Jason, it's Mer. I just wanted to let you know that Mom's going to be okay. She had some seizures last night but Der…the doctor said that it was just because she had swelling from the concussion."

"That's a relief. Do you have any idea when she's going to be released?"

"She'll probably get to go home in a few days. They need to keep her here for observation because of the concussion but everything should be fine."

"Thanks for calling. I'll stop by later in the morning. Have you eaten anything or slept at all?"

"I slept surprisingly well last night," she answered, thinking about cuddling with Derek in the tiny uncomfortable chair all night.

"How about eating?"

"Not yet. After I call Finn and let him know what's happening I'm going to go grab some breakfast. I already called school and told them I won't be able to come in for a few days."

"Okay. I'll see you later."

Meredith hung up the phone and then sat down in of the lobby chairs. After spending all night with Derek, she really didn't want to call Finn. Partly because she felt like she had cheated on him but because the feelings that she had for Derek that she thought had been waning all came rushing back the moment he came into the closet to comfort her and took her in his arms.

After debating for a few minutes she dialed Finn's number. When she had gotten the phone call from Jason about her parents she rushed out of his apartment and had promised that she would call him to let him know what was happening.

"Hello?"

"Hey. It's Meredith."

"Mer, what's going on? I've been worried sick."

"My dad got released this morning. My mom had some seizures last night but it was just from the concussion. She's going to fine and is going to get released in a few days."

"I'm so glad. I'm going to come to the hospital and bring you some food and a change of clothes."

"No. No, that's okay. A…friend is here and we were just about to go get something to eat. I'll be home tonight okay?"

"Are you sure? I'm worried about you."

"I'm fine. I promise. I'll see you tonight okay?"

"Okay. Bye."

Meredith hung up and took a deep breath. She was afraid that no matter what she said, Finn was going to come to the hospital and she didn't know what would happen if he and Derek met.

She walked down to the cafeteria and saw Derek already at a table with two trays of food. He had gotten Meredith some waffles and fruit. That was her favorite breakfast since Derek had made her start eating in the morning. There were also two big cups of coffee.

"You remembered," she said, sitting down at the table across from him.

"Remembered what?"

"The waffles. You remembered that I like to eat waffles for breakfast."

"Of course I did. I'm the one who actually got you to start eating a good breakfast. Before me you were eating either cold pizza or left over grilled cheese."

Meredith just looked up at him and smiled and started eating her breakfast. She hadn't realized how hungry she was until she came face-to-face with food.

"So my mom really is going to be okay?" Meredith asked, as she finished her food.

"She's going to be fine Mer. I promise. If you want I can go check on her latest tests and let you know."

"I know I said no last night to that offer but now…"

"I'll do it right now and meet you back in her room okay?"

She just smiled at him and nodded her head. Derek kissed the top of her head as he walked out of the cafeteria to go the lab.

Meredith was walking through the lobby back to her mother's room when she spotted Finn standing, talking to the receptionist. She took a deep breath and then walked up to him.

"Finn? What are you doing here?"

"There you are. They wouldn't tell me what room your mom was in because I'm not family."

"I told you I would see you at home tonight."

"I hope you're not mad. I thought I would surprise you. You sounded completely exhausted on the phone and I just wanted to be here to support you."

"I'm not mad. Surprise, I am. I have to go back to my mom's room because the doctor is going to let me know about her latest test results so…I'm fine. You can leave."

Meredith was trying to get Finn to leave before she had to go back to her mother's room because Derek was going to be there.

"Why are you pushing me to leave Mer?"

"I'm not. I just know you're busy."

"It's fine. I'm going to stay here and be here for you."

"Okay, well her room is this way," Meredith said, taking Finn's hand and leading him to his mom's room.

Meredith was relieved that Derek wasn't there yet and was hoping she could stop him before he got there, but just as she was getting up to leave the room he walked in.

"Meredith…and…you must be Finn," Derek said, his face dropping.

"Yea, you're right. Derek, this is Finn. Finn, remember I told you about Derek? Well, this is Derek."

"The Derek you were with for 6 months?"

Derek was glad to know that Meredith had at least told Finn about him.

"Yeah. Um, Derek, do you have my mom's results?"

"I do. Everything is stable and she should be out of here in a few days."

"Thank you so much."

Derek finished giving Meredith the rest of the results and Finn said that she wanted to take Meredith home to get some sleep. She wasn't that tired because she had slept so well with Derek the night before but she couldn't tell him that. The two of them left and as they walked away Meredith turned around mouthed, "Sorry. I'll call you," to Derek.

A/N: Maybe another update tonight but I'm not sure. But I want a lot of reviews again before I update...so…yea…REVIEW!


	43. Lips Of An Angel

A/N: This update inspired by Rachel…So a few chapters may seem like the season finale/season premiere but I promise it's not going to end up the same way so stick with me! This chapter is also going to include a song because I think it also fits well with Meredith and Derek and this chapter too.

Chapter 43: Lips Of An Angel

Meredith went back to Finn's apartment and he insisted that she go to sleep while he had his appointments for the day. At first when she got into bed she couldn't sleep because all she could think about was Derek. After about an hour and a half of tossing and turning in Finn's bed, she finally fell asleep.

"_Where are we going?"_

"_Just take my hand, and close your eyes."_

"_Close my eyes?"_

"_You trust me don't you?"_

"_Of course I do, but…"_

"_Okay, then close your eyes and take my hand."_

_Derek took Meredith's hand and led her outside into the cold._

"_Okay, open your eyes."_

_When Meredith opened her eyes, they were standing under a little waterfall with lights all around. It was one of the most beautiful things Meredith had ever seen._

_Derek looked at his watch, "Happy New Year."_

"_Happy New Year…I love you."_

"_I love you too Meredith."_

Meredith felt somebody shaking her to wake her up. She rolled over and opened her eyes smiling, but saw Finn instead of Derek.

"Sorry for waking you up. You were smiling and looked so calm. Good dream?"

"Yeah I guess it was a good dream."

"Dreaming about me right?"

Meredith just smiled at him. She didn't want to lie anymore. She hadn't told Finn that Derek had comforted her in the hospital after she saw her mother having seizures or the fact that she had slept in has lap all night and hadn't slept better since they broke up. And she certainly wasn't going to tell him that she was dreaming about her ex.

"Meredith, are you alright? I know your mom got hurt but even so, you seem…weird. What's going on? Does this have something to do with Derek? Did he say something to you?"

"No. Finn…I'm fine. I need to go home. I should let Izzie and George know what's going on and I really want to sleep in my own bed tonight."

"You promise something's not bothering you?"

"I promise. I'll call you in the morning okay?"

"Yea," he said, a little resigned.

Meredith gave him a quick kiss, gathered up her stuff and went home. When she got home Izzie was at the hospital and George was cooking with Callie. It looked like Callie was trying to teach George how to cook and whatever it was that they were making smelled really good.

"Hey guys. What are you making? It smells great."

"Meredith, you're home. How's your mom?"

"She's going to be fine. They're going to keep her a few days for observation. But, seriously, what are you cooking? I haven't eaten decent food in 2 days."

"Callie's teaching me how to make homemade tomato sauce and garlic bread."

"He's actually really helpful. He chopped all the tomatoes and cut and toasted the bread," Callie said.

"Really? I'm impressed."

Callie, George and Meredith all ate dinner together and had a great time. Meredith really liked Callie and she made George really happy. Spending time with them made her forget about her mom being in the hospital, and reconnecting with Derek at the hospital and wishing that she was with him instead of Finn.

They finished dinner and Izzie came home and made them some brownies for dessert. George walked Callie to her after they had watched a movie and everybody had just hung out. After the movie ended George went to clean up in the kitchen, Izzie went to sleep and Meredith went up to her room.

At Derek's apartment, he was having dinner with his new girlfriend Tiffany but couldn't stop thinking about Meredith. He had made dinner for Tiffany and himself and hadn't put nearly as much effort into impressing her as he did the first night that he cooked for Meredith. Also, the night that he had cooked for Meredith she had helped him. Tiffany just sat around watching TV and staring at herself in the mirror.

After they finished dinner, Tiffany went into the TV room to watch all the nightly entertainment shows and left Derek to clean up from dinner. He was in his own little word when the phone ringing brought him out of his stupor.

_Honey why are you calling me so late  
It's kinda hard to talk right now  
Honey why are you crying is everything okay  
I gotta whisper cause I can't be too loud_

"Hello?"

"Hi Derek. It's Meredith," she said quietly.

"Hey. I'm glad you called. I've been thinking about you."

"Same. I mean, I've been thinking about you."

"Are you doing alright?"

"Yeah. I think I'm okay. I was just…could you come over?"

"You want me to come see you?"

"Yeah."

"I don't know Meredith. Tiffany's here and we…"

_Well, my girl's in the next room  
Sometimes I wish she was you  
I guess we never really moved on_

"Please Derek."

"Okay. When do you want me to come?"

"I need to take a shower so how about in a half hour?"

"I'll see you then."

"Thanks Derek," Meredith said, and then hung up.

_It's really good to hear your voice saying my name  
It sounds so sweet  
Coming from the lips of an angel  
Hearing those words it makes me weak  
And I never wanna say goodbye  
But girl you make it hard to be faithful  
With the lips of an angel_

Meredith jumped in the shower as soon as she hung up. Derek told Tiffany that he needed to out for a little while and she really didn't seem to mind. She was too busy trying to find out what was going on with Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston and whether Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton were friends or not.

Meredith jumped out of the shower; left her hair wet and put on a sweat suit. Before she knew it there was a knock on the door. She looked out her bathroom window and saw Derek's Range Rover parked outside the house and knew that it was him at the door.

She went downstairs and opened the door and saw Derek standing there looking down at the ground. When he heard the door open up he looked into her eyes. Her hair was wet and she was wearing sweats but she had never looked so beautiful to him before.

_It's funny that you're calling me tonight  
And yes I've dreamt of you too  
And does he know you're talking to me  
Will it start a fight  
No I don't think she has a clue_

"Thank you for coming. I mean, I know you were with…Tiffany…but thanks."

"Well, you sounded like you really needed me. And you know that I'm here for you whenever you need me."

"You can come in," she chuckled, "you don't have to stand in the doorway the whole night."

Derek walked into the house and closed the door. George noticed that it was Derek who came in and quickly hurried upstairs to his room so that the two of them could be left alone.

"Do you want a brownie? Izzie made them like an hour ago."

"No thanks. I just ate dinner, maybe later."

"I had a dream about you today," Meredith said, taking a brownie for herself.

"Really? A good dream I hope."

"It was about New Years. When you took me to that little café and we went out on the patio with all the lights and it was so beautiful and you timed it so we got out there right at midnight."

"That was a good night."

"Yeah, it was."

_Well my girl's in the next room  
Sometimes I wish she was you  
I guess we never really moved on_

"So, what did you want to talk about?"

"I just, ya know, wanted to thank you for helping out with my other. I mean, not only helping my mom and making sure she was okay but for comforting me. I was really worried and you made me feel better. I really appreciate it."

"Like I said before, I'm always here when you need me."

Meredith just looked at Derek.

"Was there something else?"

"Sort of," Meredith said taking a deep breath. "I…Derek being around you and you comforting me, it brought back all the feelings that I had for you. I tried moving on with Finn but I don't know if I can do it anymore."

"Meredith…"

"No, let me finish. I know that I broke up with you. I have never made such a hard decision than that and I couldn't function for days and from what Izzie told me about when she came to get my stuff from your apartment, you were too. I miss you Derek."

Derek looked her in the eyes, "I miss you too."

_It's really good to hear your voice saying my name  
It sounds so sweet  
Coming from the lips of an angel  
Hearing those words it makes me weak  
And I never wanna say goodbye  
But girl you make it hard to be faithful  
With the lips of an angel_

Neither of them said anything because they didn't know what to say. Meredith was with Finn and Derek was with Tiffany but it was clear that they still loved each other and didn't have strong feelings for the other people.

"I should go. Tiffany…she's waiting for me."

Derek walked over and gave Meredith a kiss on the cheek and paused there. He pulled away but only a few inches. They were dangerously close to each other, both breathing heavily.

Before Meredith could say anything, Derek kissed Meredith passionately on the lips. Meredith put her hands on Derek's chest and he cupped her face with his hands. When they finally broke apart, only for air, both of them were breathless. Meredith looked up into Derek's eyes.

"I…Derek…"

"Meredith, I don't want to push you into doing something that you don't want to do. I miss you and I love you and I want you."

"I…" Meredith was still speechless.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have kissed you. I'll go."

As Derek was about to walk away, Meredith grabbed his hand and stopped him from leaving.

"I don't want you to go."

"You don't?" he asked, turning around.

"No. Stay…I want you Derek."

He walked back over to her and kissed her. He broke the kiss and slowly unzipped her top as they were looking at each other.

"You sure you want this?" Derek asked, kissing her hands.

"I'm sure."

Derek smiled and gave Meredith a kiss on the forehead before picking her up and carried her up to her bedroom.

_  
It's really good to hear your voice saying my name  
It sounds so sweet  
Coming from the lips of an angel  
Hearing those words it makes me weak  
And I never wanna say goodbye  
But girl you make it hard to be faithful  
With the lips of an angel  
(And I never wanna say goodbye)  
But girl you make it hard to be faithful  
With the lips of an angel  
Honey why are you calling me so late_

A/N: Hehehehehehehehe….REVIEW! LOTS OF REVIEWS!


	44. What Are You Doing?

A/N: Wow…thanks for all the reviews! It made my super happy! Like I said before, the next few chapters are going be kind of like the season finale/premiere but I promise it won't have the same outcome.

Chapter 44: What Are You Doing?

The next morning Meredith woke up in Derek's arms. Last night had been absolutely amazing. She had put Finn completely out of her mind and Derek did the same with Tiffany. Although they both knew that they were cheating, they had no remorse about what happened the night before.

"Good morning," Meredith said.

"Good morning yourself," Derek said, with his trademark smile.

Meredith leaned over and gave Derek a deep kiss.

"How'd you sleep?" he asked.

"Better than I have in months."

"Yeah, me too."

Meredith cuddled up to Derek and they lay there just enjoying being in each others arms. About a half hour later, there was a knock at Meredith's door.

"Damnit," she said, getting up and putting on a robe.

Meredith got up and opened the door just enough to get out and not let whoever was waiting at the door see that Derek was in her bed. She walked out into the hall to see Izzie and George standing there with their hands on their hips and with disapproving looks on their faces.

"What? I was trying to sleep. What do you want?"

"You slept with Derek last night," they both said at the same time.

"What? I did not. I came home to go to sleep…by myself."

"Meredith, we heard you two last night," Izzie said.

Meredith didn't know how to respond. She had had Finn over a few nights and both Izzie and George knew that they weren't sleeping together yet. They were also familiar with the sounds they were hearing the previous night because when Derek and Meredith were together they didn't always stay at his apartment and when they were at her house, they did very little sleeping.

"What happened? I thought you were with Finn," George asked.

"I am with Finn. I just…I don't know. I was upset about my mom and when I was at the hospital Derek comforted me and I wanted to thank him so I asked him to come over last night and it just…happened."

"Hot sex with your ex-boyfriend just happened?"

"I can't talk about this right now. Later okay?"

George and Izzie both rolled their eyes and walked away back to their respective rooms to go to sleep because neither of them had gotten much during the night. Meredith went back into her room. She closed the door and then leaned her head back on the door, gently banging it.

"Mer? What are you doing? What's wrong?"

"What's wrong? We had sex last night Derek."

"We did."

Meredith walked over and sat down on the edge of bed, putting her face in her hands. Derek sat up and rubbed her back, realizing that she was upset. But he hoped that she didn't think that what happened was a mistake because that was the last thing on his mind.

"It's going to be okay Meredith."

"It's going to be okay? It's not going to be okay Derek. I'm with Finn. I told Finn that I had to come home last night to eat and sleep in my own bed. I didn't say, 'Hey Finn, I have to go home and have sex with my ex-boyfriend. I'll call you in the morning.' And you…you're with Tiffany."

"I am. But I don't want to be. I want to be with you Meredith. The only reason I started dating her is because of I was jealous. I heard from Cristina and Burke that you were dating Finn so I decided that I should move on too. But it didn't work. No matter what, you'll always be in my head."

"Derek, you have to go. I have to call Finn. I have to go to the hospital and check on my mom."

"Don't do this. Don't push me away."

"Don't do what? I have a boyfriend Derek."

"Don't act like last night didn't mean anything. It wasn't just meaningless sex to me Meredith. And I hope it wasn't that to you either."

"It wasn't that at all," she said, taking his hand, "But we can't be together right now because I'm with Finn and you're with Tiffany. Before we do anything…you just have to go now. I promise I'll call you later."

"Before I go, I want to let you know. I'm going to end things with Tiffany. She doesn't mean anything to me. I love you Meredith."

"What does this mean?" Meredith asked.

"It means that you have a choice to make. I'm not going to force you to do anything and I want you to take your time. But you need to know that I love you and I'm ending things with Tiffany. I'm leaving now…so I'll call you later Mer."

Derek got dressed quickly, gave Meredith a kiss on the cheek and left. Meredith just fell back onto her bed as she watched Derek leave. She put on sweatpants and a t-shirt and went downstairs where George and Izzie were eating breakfast.

"Hey" Meredith said, sitting down at the table and grabbing a muffin.

"Meredith, what are you doing?" Izzie asked.

"I'm eating breakfast," she said with her mouthful.

"No. What are you doing with Finn and Derek? You're leading both of them on and you can't do that. You have to decide which one you want to be with."

"That's what Derek said," Meredith replied, putting her head down on the table.

Izzie and George didn't know what to say to her. Meredith was obviously conflicted but the both of them believed that no matter how long it took her to make a decision, the outcome would be same; she would pick Derek.

Meredith finished eating and went upstairs to call Finn. She wasn't going to tell him over the phone what had happened and she wasn't going to make a decision today, or the next day. Finn was a great guy and she really did have a huge choice to make. Meredith wasn't going to make a decision fast and on impulse. She was really going to think about it and take it seriously.

She sat down on her bed, picked up the phone and slowly dialed Finn's number.

"Hello?"

"Hi Finn."

"Meredith. I've been waiting for you to call."

"Sorry it wasn't earlier. I uh…slept in."

"No need to apologize. How are you doing?"

"Much better that I had a good night sleep in my own bed."

"Are you going to visit your mom this morning?"

"Yea, I think so. I just want to check on her and see what the doctors are saying today. Hopefully everything is the same or better as it was yesterday."

"I'm sure it's fine. Do you want me to come with you?"

"Is it too much to ask? I mean, you probably have things to do."

"Of course I'll come. Do you want me to meet you there or I can come and pick you up?"

"I'll meet you there in about an hour. I have to shower and call my brother."

"Okay, I'll see you soon."

Meredith hung up. She had thought that she would just blurt out what had happened with Derek just to get it over with but just when she got her courage up, Finn went and was all sweet and Meredith couldn't hurt him like that. She took a shower, called her brother and then headed to the hospital.

A/N: I don't know when my next update is going to be. Probably tomorrow afternoon but I'm not sure. I have SAT prep to do b/c I'm taking the test on Saturday morning. I'm going to my home schools homecoming game on Friday and probably the dance on Saturday so there won't be a lot in the next few days b/c I'm doing that and working on my college essay. But…if I get a lot of reviews…who knows…


	45. Boy Problems

A/N: Sorry I haven't updated. I was at the homecoming game last night, and I took the SAT's this morning. I absolutely loved Thursday night's episode…I thought Meredith on morphine was hilarious and I was screaming at the TV when Derek said he was going to walk away and I was crying when Denny's voice-over was on.…Anyhow…on with the story…

Chapter 45: Boy Problems

Meredith took a shower and then left her house to go to the hospital. Her brother had said that he and Melissa would meet her at the hospital. They had finally been able to snag a dependable babysitter and it had come at just the right time. Meredith went into the room where Jason and Melissa were talking to Ellis and Thatcher.

"Hey Mer," Jason, said giving his sister a hug.

"Hi. Mom, you're awake. How are you feeling?"

"I'm tired. But I'm fine. Jason said that I gave you all quite a scare. Sorry."

"It's alright Mom. As long as you're okay, we're all okay."

"Meredith, are you okay? You seem kind of distracted," Melissa said.

"Yeah I'm okay. I'm just…can I talk to you Mel?"

"Of course. Want to go to the cafeteria and get some coffee?"

"Yeah. We'll be back in a little while mom."

Meredith gave her mom a hug and left the room with Melissa and headed down to the cafeteria. They had to have their conversation quickly because Finn was going to be there a while and Meredith was pretty sure that Derek was going to be at work soon too.

"So, what's going on?" Melissa asked.

"Boy problems."

Mel smiled "I figured. Spill…"

"Okay, well you remember Derek?"

"Of course I do. Tall, handsome, extremely charming."

Meredith laughed, "Yeah that's him. When we broke up, it was really hard on both of us. It took me a while to move on. I met Finn when I was on a ferryboat ride. Derek and I used to go on the ferryboats all the time. Anyways, I met Finn, and I liked Finn and we started dating. Then when Mom got sick, Derek saw me at the hospital and he comforted me and he let me sleep in his lap when I hadn't slept in a day. I went back to Finn's the next day and then I went home and called Derek. I wanted him to come over so I could say thank you and…we…slept together."

"Wow. That's a lot to take in at once. So, you and Derek slept together?"

"Yeah. I cheated on Finn and I'm a terrible person, but all the feelings that I had for Derek came back but I still like Finn…I just don't know what to do."

"Meredith I can't help you decide which one you want to be with, but I can give you some advice. Go with your heart. Which one do you think you are meant to be with and which one can you see yourself sending the rest of your life with?"

"Derek," Meredith said quietly.

Mel smiled, "That's what I thought. Mer, when you talk about him or when he walks into a room, your face lights up. And the same is true for him. The way he looks at you, you can see that he cares about you."

"I know. It's just, he hurt me ya know? It was like, things were great for a while and then once we got more serious he started spending more time at the hospital and less time with me. When we were together, I really thought that we were going to get married, but it made me wonder if the same thing would happen if we got married."

"But you'll never know."

Meredith was silent and just sat there looking down, with her hands wrapped around her coffee cup.

"Do you still love Derek?"

Meredith looked up at Melissa.

"Yeah I do. I'll always love him. He's…the one."

Melissa smiled, "Then tell him."

"But what about Finn?"

"What about Finn? It sounds to me that you've already made your decision."

"I guess I have."

Melissa and Meredith finished their conversation and then went back upstairs to the waiting room to meet up with Finn. She was already a little late and considering the news that she was about to give him, she should probably be at least a little bit punctual. Melissa whispered good luck to Meredith and then headed back into Ellis's room with Jason.

"Meredith, there you are. I've been calling your cell phone."

"Sorry about that. I was with my sister-in-law. And I'm also sorry I'm late."

"Don't give it a second thought. How's your mom?"

"She's doing great and she'll be released tomorrow."

"That's great Mer. And what about you? How are you holding up?"

"I'm doing pretty well. I just…we need to talk Finn."

"Uh oh, that's not good. Those are the 4 worst words to hear when you're in a relationship."

"I'm serious Finn."

"Okay. I'm listening."

"You're too good for me. I don't deserve you Finn. You should be with someone who appreciates you"

"This has something to do with Derek doesn't it?"

"I wish it didn't. But yeah."

"What's going on?"

"Derek and I were together for 6 months. I thought I was over him, but I'm not. I still love him Finn."

"I thought so. Whenever he was around, you always seemed distracted. I understand though."

"You do?"

"You can't help who you fall in love with."

"No, you can't."

"Take care Meredith," Finn said giving Meredith a kiss on the cheek and then leaving the hospital.

Meredith sat down on one of the chairs in the lobby and put her head in her hands. She felt really bad about hurting Finn. He was such a sweet guy and he definitely deserved better. He deserved to be with someone who cared about him as much as he cared about them and that wasn't the case with her. No matter what, she couldn't get Derek out of her mind.

"You okay?"

Meredith looked over to see Derek sitting in the chair next to her, with that same McDreamy smile on his face.

"Hi Derek" Meredith said, looking back down at the ground.

"Are you okay Mer? Your mom's going to be fine."

"It's not my mom. I just broke up with Finn."

"You broke up with Finn…does that mean…?"

"I don't what it means Derek. I need time. I just need some time."

"Take all the time you need. I'll be here when you decide."

Meredith just nodded at Derek and then got up and went back into her mom's room.

A/N: Maybe more tonight I don't know. Depends on reviews so REVIEW!


	46. Take It Slow

A/N: It's been a long day. SAT's this morning and then work this evening but writing makes me happy. This chapter is going to have a song too…

Chapter 46: Take It Slow

Meredith didn't know what she wanted to do about Derek. She knew that she loved him and that she wanted to be with him but didn't know if that's what she wanted right away. Derek had ended things with Tiffany and Meredith had done the same with Finn.

After a few days of thinking Meredith decided what she was going to do. Derek had told her that he would be there waiting when she made her decision, not matter what that decision was. She decided that she was going to tell Derek that she wanted to be with him but it was going to be different and they were going to take things slow.

She decided to call Derek and ask him to come over that night so she could tell him what she had chosen to do. Jason, Melissa and their kids were going to be there for dinner so Meredith would have some moral support.

"Hello?"

"Hey Derek. It's me."

"I'd know that voice anywhere. What's going on McBeautiful?"

Meredith laughed, "Nothing. I just, have a certain something to tell you so would you like to come over tonight?"

"And would that certain something have to do with a certain someone who you happen to be talking to right now?"

"Good job detective. Are you coming?"

"Of course. What time?"

"How about 8?"

"I'll be at the hospital until 8 so I'll get there as soon as I can."

"Okay."

"I can't wait."

"I bet you can't," Meredith said laughing, "Bye Derek."

"Bye Meredith."

That day was Meredith's last day off from work that she had asked for since her mother's accident and she was going to take full advantage of it. Meredith called Cristina, who had the day off from work to go shopping with her. They went to the mall, had some lunch and then started their shopping. Their first store was Victoria's Secret. They weren't looking for anything in particular, just browsing, when Cristina picked up a black satin bustier with matching lacy panties.

"Hey Mer. Check this out."

Meredith turned around and saw Cristina holding the set of bright pink lingerie.

"Real nice, Cris."

"I bet Derek would like it. I mean you two are getting back together."

"I told you that we're not going to have sex."

Cristina gave Meredith her 'Oh Please' look.

Meredith sighed, "Fine, you're right. That's never gonna happen. But you know, he's so…Derek…and…the sex is just…"

"Okay, I really don't want to hear about your sexcapades with Dr. McDreamy. Just buy the damn thing so you can finally get laid tonight. I mean you haven't gotten any since you two broke up."

"Thanks for reminding me."

"No problem."

Meredith didn't buy want Cristina had picked out, but she did buy a little something special for Derek. She got a new bra and panties set, similar to the one she had bought for New Year's when she went shopping with Jen, Derek's oldest sister. Derek had really enjoyed that so she had no doubt that he would like this as well.

She also bought a few new pairs of jeans, and 2 pairs of shoes. Meredith had been through a lot the past week and she figured she deserved to splurge and to spoil herself despite the fact that she didn't make that much as a teacher.

Meredith drove Cristina home and then went back to her house to get ready for dinner with Jason and Melissa. She made lasagna, which Derek had taught her how to make, and bought some nice bread. She also made up a salad and bought a chocolate mousse cake for dessert.

At about 6, Jason and Melissa showed up with Tyler and Lexie. Meredith couldn't believe that Lexie was already 7 months old. It seemed like just yesterday that she had gotten the call from her brother that Melissa had given birth to a baby girl. And Tyler had grown up so much. In September, he would be starting kindergarten.

They all ate dinner and enjoyed it very much. Everybody was surprised that Meredith had actually cooked. She had Derek to thank for that. He had taught her to make so many things that she never would have known or wanted to know how to make if she hadn't met him.

Melissa and Jason were reading a story to Kyle and Meredith was holding and rocking Lexie, when the doorbell rang.

"Who's that?" Melissa asked.

"It's Derek."

"Derek as in, neurosurgeon Derek?" Jason asked, completely unaware of what was going on.

Melissa knew because of what had happened at the hospital that day and since then, they had been keeping in touch. Aside from Cristina and Izzie, Mel was one of the first people who Meredith told about what she was going to do.

"Yes. That Derek. It's complicated. I'll tell you later okay?"

_This time, This place  
Misused, Mistakes  
Too long, Too late  
Who was I to make you wait  
Just one chance  
Just one breath  
Just in case there's just one left  
'Cause you know,  
you know, you know_

Meredith got up, still with the baby in her arms and opened the door. Derek was standing outside and holding a big bouquet of white roses.

Meredith smiled, "Hey Derek. Come in."

"It's nice to see that smile again. And who is this beautiful little girl?"

"This is my niece, Lexie."

"Well, hello there gorgeous. How are you?"

Derek was great with kids. Meredith saw how well he did with all of his sisters' kids and she always knew that he would make a great father some day.

Melissa came into the doorway and took the baby, knowing that Meredith and Derek needed some time alone to talk. Mel went back into the living room with the baby where Jason and Kyle was and Derek and Meredith went into the kitchen. Meredith took the flowers and put them in a vase.

"So you had something to tell me?" Derek said.

"Yeah I do. I never stopped loving you Derek. Breaking up with you was probably the biggest mistake that I have ever made. I cried myself to sleep every night, thinking about whether I had made the right decision. I started dating Finn and I thought that I had moved on, but when I saw you at the hospital…all the feelings that I had for you came back. I actually don't think they ever went away. So here it is. I choose you Derek. And I hope you give me a second chance. I know I don't deserve it but I love you and you're the one I want to be with, no one else."

_That I love you  
I have loved you all along  
And I miss you  
Been far away for far too long  
I keep dreaming you'll be with me  
and you'll never go  
Stop breathing if  
I don't see you anymore_

"Meredith, I never stopped loving you either. When you left me, it was like the world was coming to an end. But I don't resent for you what you did. Not one little bit. If anything, being apart from me made me appreciate what I had when I was with you. Not one day went by that I don't think of you. So I choose you too. And, yes you do deserve me. In fact you deserve someone better than me."

_On my knees, I'll ask  
Last chance for one last dance  
'Cause with you, I'd withstand  
All of hell to hold your hand  
I'd give it all  
I'd give for us  
Give anything but I won't give up  
'Cause you know,  
you know, you know_

Meredith had tears streaming down her face. Derek walked over to her and wiped the tears away with his thumb.

"I'm sorry Derek. You should be with someone else," she said still crying.

"Meredith, what are you talking about? There is nobody I would rather be with than you."

"I hurt you Derek. When I left you I hurt you. If I was stronger I would have stuck it out and not have just given up."

"I don't blame you for what you did Meredith. If I was you, and somebody was neglecting me the way I was doing to you, I would have done the same thing. Let's just forget about the past, and start over. I love you Meredith, and that's all that matter."

"You promise?" Meredith said, her sobs slowing down.

"I promise."

_That I love you  
I have loved you all along  
And I miss you  
Been far away for far too long  
I keep dreaming you'll be with me  
and you'll never go  
Stop breathing if  
I don't see you anymore_

Derek wiped the tears away from Meredith's face and once she had calmed down and caught her breath, she just looked at Derek and smiled.

"There's that beautiful smile. I haven't seen that in a while."

"Thank you Derek."

"For what?" he asked, brushing her hair out of her face.

"For taking me back. For not hating me for what I did to you. And…for loving me."

"It's not hard to do, Mer."

_So far away  
Been far away for far too long  
So far away  
Been far away for far too long  
But you know, you know, you know _

Meredith gave Derek a deep kiss and didn't noticed that her brother had just walked into the room.

"Achem…"

Meredith opened her eyes and broke apart from the kiss.

"Jason…"

"Kyle and Lexie need to get to bed so we're going to head home."

"Okay. Um, call me tomorrow alright?"

"Yea, of course."

Meredith said goodbye to Mel, Jason, Lexie and Kyle and then went back to Derek in the kitchen.

"So where were we?"

Derek laughed, "Right…about….here," he said, walking towards her and kissing her.

Derek walked them towards the living room, and onto the couch. He was about to take off her shirt when she stopped him.

"Mmm...Derek...no..." she said, putting her hands on his chest to stop him.

"No? What's wrong?"

"We can't. I mean..." Meredith sat up, "Derek, I want to take things slow.

"How slow?" he said, inching his hand up her shirt.

"Derek...stop...I'm serious..." she said in between kisses.

He finally stopped and sat up, "You're serious about this?"

"Yea. I just, I want to take things slow. Not rush into anything. We've been apart for awhile. I think we should start out like new...we should...date."

"You want to date me?" he said, laughing a little.

"Why is that funny? We should date. Get to know each other again."

"Okay...anything else?"

Meredith had a huge grin on her face.

"Oh no...what else?"

"No sex."

"No sex? You're no fun."

"Believe me Derek, it's definitely not that I don't want you. It's just what I think is right right now. And when the time is right for...other things...I'll let you know."

"Okay. In that case," Derek said, standing up, "Goodnight Meredith. I will call you tomorrow."

Derek gave Meredith a kiss on the cheek and left her sitting alone on her couch, with a huge smile on her face, happier than she had been in a while. Things had been tough for awhile but she had a gut feeling that they were turning around

A/N: This was difficult for me to write...Hope you all are happy! REVIEW!


	47. Dating

A/N: Sorry I didn't update earlier this morning. I went to the mall and then I had to work on my college essay. I was at NY and Company admiring the pictures of Ellen and Patrick on the walls. I was trying to find the stuff that Ellen is wearing, but I'm really short and petite so nothing fit me.

Chapter 47: Dating

Ellis was released from the hospital the next day and Meredith went back to work. Her co-workers were surprised to see her so upbeat and happy and she had Derek to thank for that. Meredith hadn't told anybody at the school that she had gotten back together with Derek. They had known that she had broken up with him because for the few days after she was very upset and wasn't acting like herself. Meredith was glad to let everybody know that she and Derek were back together and taking things slow.

Meredith was sitting in her classroom, waiting for the students to arrive, when her phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Good morning Meredith."

Meredith smiled, "Good morning Derek."

"How are you?"

"I'm doing really well. My mom was released this morning."

"Yeah, I know. She's doing really well. She just has to come back in a couple weeks for an MRI to make sure that everything is okay."

"Thank you. You've been so much help through all of this."

"Your very welcome, Mer."

"Aren't you supposed to be working?"

"I'm going into surgery in about a half hour but I wanted to call and ask you if you wanted to have dinner with me tonight because we're dating."

"Yes we are dating."

"Pick you up at 8?"

"See you then."

"Have a good day Meredith."

"You too, Derek."

Meredith hung up the phone. Hearing Derek's voice that morning made her very happy and made her believe that today was going to be a very good. The day went by pretty quickly and her students were very well behaved considering she hadn't been there for a week.

After school, she went home to get ready for her date. Derek hadn't told her where they were going so she figured it was going to be another one of his surprises. The only difficult thing about his surprises was trying to find something to wear. The only thing she could thing to do was call him and ask.

"Hello?"

"It's me."

"Hi you. Shouldn't you be getting ready for our date?"

"I should but you never tell me where we're going so I never know what to wear. Could you help me out?"

"Well I'm not telling you where we're going but I can tell you that there is no need to dress up. I just have some paperwork to finish up and I'll be there to pick you up.

"See you soon."

"Looking forward to it."

Meredith hung up and then went and got dressed in nice jeans, heels and a sweater. She put on a little bit of makeup and fixed her hair and then went downstairs to wait for Derek to come.

"You look nice. Going out?" Izzie asked, as she ate a plate of the leftover lasagna from the night before.

"Yeah I am. I have a date with Derek."

"A date? Aren't you two past dating?"

"No. We're taking things slow. We're dating. No sex…"

"No sex? Wow. I'm proud Mer. But that's not going to happen."

"Why does everybody say that to me?"

"Because Mer. Anytime you two look at each other, it looks like you just want to do it right then and there."

"I can have self control."

"Okay…Whatever you say Mer." Izzie said, getting up from the table and putting her plate in the sink.

Just as Meredith was about to defend herself, the doorbell rang.

"That's Derek."

Meredith went and opened the door.

"You look beautiful."

"Thank you. You're not too hard on the eyes yourself."

Derek always looked great. He had an amazing body and beautiful, piercing blue eyes. When she saw him standing outside, she just wanted to grab him and go upstairs to her bedroom. Meredith realized how hard it was going to be to resist having sex with him and she knew that he wasn't going to accept what she said, but he wasn't going to push her into doing anything she wasn't ready for.

"Are you ready to go?"

"Yup. I just need to grab my coat."

Meredith went to closet and got her jacket and then left the house with Derek. As usual, she had no idea where he was taking her but she never worried because she trusted him more than anyone.

After awhile, Meredith figured out where they were going – the ferryboats.

"We're going to the ferryboats?" she asked with a smile.

"I guess the secret's out. I just thought that since its our place, it was the best place for our second first date."

"I definitely agree."

Derek parked the car and then came around and opened the door for her. He had always been a perfect gentleman to her. He took her hand and helped her out of the car. They bought their tickets and then got onto the boat. Meredith went to the front of the boat while Derek went and bought them each a cup of hot chocolate

He came up from behind her and wrapped his arms around Meredith, handing her the cup of hot chocolate.

"Thank you."

"Anything for you."

They just stood there, drinking their coffee and looking out at the water, keeping each other warm with their body heat. The boat docked and they headed to the restaurant next door for some dinner. They each ordered and just sat there talking, eating, and catching up on what had happened while they were apart.

After dinner, Derek took Meredith back to her house. He was trying to make her want him more and more and was pretty sure that she wouldn't want their date to end that soon. Once they got home, Derek walked her up to the door.

"Dinner was really good. Thank you."

"Like I said before, anything for you."

"It's still a little early, so, you could come in…"

"I could?" he said, moving towards her.

"For coffee. You could come in for coffee."

"Coffee sounds good," he said, moving a little bit closer.

"Yea…coffee is good…" Meredith said, her lips only inches from Derek's.

She had never said anything about no kissing. But Meredith knew that once she got started she wouldn't be able to stop.

"Coffee is very good," Derek said and then leaned in and kiss Meredith softly on the lips.

Derek cupped Meredith's face with his hand and she put her hands on his shoulders. The kiss began to get heated and Derek opened the door and led them inside. George and Izzie were in the kitchen when the two of them came stumbling in the door. They were quietly laughing, because they knew that Meredith wasn't going to be able to resist him. When they got to the base of the stairs, Derek picked Meredith up and carried her up to her room. He closed the door to her room with his foot and lay her down on the bed and slowly crawled on top of her. He was about to start kissing her again when she put her hand on his chest and stopped him.

"Derek, we can't do this. Remember, the taking it slow thing?"

"I do remember. Does that mean we can't kiss? Because you know how much I like kissing."

"No, I didn't say anything about no kissing. But if we get started Derek, I don't think I'll be able to stop myself and…"

"What's wrong with that? It's not like we haven't slept together before. I vaguely remember being in this bed oh…3 nights ago?"

"Yeah, we were," Meredith said, scooting to the end of the bed, "But it's not right right now."

Derek moved over next to her, "Meredith, you know that I'm just kidding with you right? I would never push you to do anything you didn't want to. So, whenever you're ready, it's alright with me. Just don't make it too long okay?"

She laughed, "Okay. I promise. But, um, you should go home right now because if you don't then…you know, so out of here," she said, pushing him off the bed.

They went downstairs and Meredith kissed Derek goodnight and closed the door. She went into the kitchen where Izzie and George were still eating dessert.

"That was fast," Izzie said.

"What do you mean?" Meredith said, grabbing a cookie.

"Usually when the two of you go upstairs together, you're not back down here for a very long time, and it's usually not that quiet."

"I already told you, we're not sleeping together."

"You two were going at it pretty heavy when you came into the house. You didn't sleep with him?"

"No," Meredith said laughing, "Like I said earlier, I do have some self control. He went home."

Izzie sighed and handed George a wad of money. They had been betting on whether Meredith good resist sleeping with Derek and George won. Meredith just glared at them and rolled her eyes.

A/N: I had a really hard time writing this chapter. I don't know why. I don't think it's that good. I'm sort of in a rut. I have no good ideas right now. So, let me know what you guys want to see. REVIEWS! Where are all my reviews?


	48. Is Derek Okay?

A/N: I won't be able to update tomorrow because I have to work so, I'll try to make this good. My updates might be farther apart in the next few weeks because of school work and college stuff. Sorry! Oh, by the way, I love including songs into the chapters because it's fun finding a song that fits what's going on. So, this is going to be another song chapter. If you all don't like that, let me know.

Chapter 48: Is Derek Okay?

The next morning, Meredith got up and got dressed for work. She started her day off as usual by stopping at Starbuck's for some coffee and a muffin and then went to school. It seemed like a completely normal day but Meredith had no idea what was to come. Derek had to work for the entire day and she wouldn't be able to see him until tomorrow.

Meredith began class and handed out a test to her students. She was sitting at her desk, grading some other papers when Leah, another one of the teachers came into her classroom.

"Meredith, can I talk to you outside?"

"Yeah. Everyone just continue your test, no talking and I'll be back in a few minutes."

Meredith went out into the hall with Leah. Leah was usually very relaxed and upbeat but she seemed very worried and tense right then.

"Is Derek okay?" Leah asked.

"As far as I know. Why?"

"You haven't talked to him this morning?"

"No I haven't. What's going on Leah? You're scaring me."

"Okay. Don't freak out Meredith. There was a shooter at Seattle Grace this morning. The hospital is in lockdown right now and the news said that only a few people got shot and they aren't injured that badly. They didn't say whether they were doctors or patients or what. I'm sure he's fine."

""Yeah…you're probably…I have to call him. Will you cover my class?"

"Of course."

Meredith went back into the classroom, grabbed her cell phone and then went to the teacher's lounge. She dialed Derek's number and it went straight to his voicemail.

"Damnit!" she said, banging her first onto the table

He usually kept his phone on all the time and it freaked Meredith out that it was off right now. She started to think the worst - he had gotten shot, and the doctors turned off his phone because he was seriously injured and they didn't want to tell anyone who called him what had happened.

Meredith went into the principal's office and told her what had happened and that she needed the rest of the day off. Even though she had taken the previous week off because of her mother, Ms. Abbott was extremely understanding about what was going on and told Meredith to go home and make sure that everything was alright.

When Meredith got home, George was sitting in the living room with the news on and the phone in his hands. He looked up to see Meredith standing in the doorway with a terrified look on her face.

"Meredith, you heard."

"Yeah. Is Izzie okay?"

"She's fine. She just called before you came in."

"What about Derek? Please tell me you've heard from Derek."

"Sorry Mer. I haven't."

"Oh gosh. George what am I going to do? I mean, what if he's shot. I broke up with him. If I hadn't we could have been together for 8 months. We could have been married by now. We could have had children. It's all my fault that we didn't have more time and now he could be dying…"

"Meredith. Slow down. I'm sure he's fine. They said that the shooter was in the ER and Derek is a surgeon so he's not in the ER most of the time."

"Yeah, but he has to go to the ER to check out trauma cases. George, I can't live without him."

"Why don't you go upstairs and try to go to sleep? I'll wake you up if I hear anything."

"I can try but I don't think I'll be able to sleep."

Meredith went upstairs to her room and changed into some sweatpants and a t-shirt and got into bed. Before long, she fell into an uneasy sleep.

"_Derek, you can't do this to me. I need you," Meredith said, by Derek's hospital bedside. _

_He had been shot and was hooked up to all sorts of machines and had a very negative prognosis._

"_Promise me you won't dwell on me? Find someone you can love and be happy with."_

"_I want to be happy with you Derek."_

"_I love you Meredith."_

_Derek closed his eyes and he flat lined._

"_NO!" Meredith screamed, crying at the same time. _

Meredith shot up in bed. George was sitting on the bed next to her, trying to calm her down. She was drenched in sweat; her face was covered with tears and out of breath.

"Derek's dead! He's gone."

"You were just dreaming Mer."

"No…he got shot…and he said I love you and then…"

"Meredith, you were dreaming."

Meredith finally realized that Derek dying had been a nightmare.

"So, he's okay? Did he call?"

"No…he hasn't called yet. I'm sure he's fine Mer. We just have to be patient."

"Be patient? You're telling me to be patient? The love of my life could be dead or dying and you're telling me to be patient? That's easy for you to say when you're girlfriend is fine."

George took a deep breath. He knew that Meredith didn't mean to be mean or hurtful to him. She was just upset right now because the man she loved could be in peril and she had no idea what was going on.

"Why don't you go take a shower and I'll make you some lunch."

"I'm not hungry," Meredith said, getting up out of bed.

"You have to eat Mer. At least a little bit. Take a shower and I'll make us some sandwiches."

Meredith didn't say anything. She just walked into the bathroom and got into the shower. She stood there, the hot water beating down on her, thinking of all the good times she had with Derek and what could have been had she not broken up with him in January. Meredith started to cry and slid down the shower wall. She finally got up when the water started to get cold.

She got out of the shower and put on a fresh pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt that Derek had left over at her house from when they were first dating. Meredith went downstairs where George had put out a sandwich and some chips for each of them. She sat down, not saying anything and started to eat slowly. She almost jumped out of her skin when her cell phone rang. She didn't even bother to say hello.

"Derek?"

"No, it's Mrs. Abbott. I just wanted to check on you. Have you heard anything?"

"No. I don't mean to rush you off the phone but I want to keep the line open in case Derek does call."

"I completely understand."

Meredith hung up, and then continued to eat her sandwich slowly. When she finished eating she just sat there staring into space. George had no idea what to say to her. He had no idea what she was going through.

"Why don't you go watch a movie or something? I'll clean up from lunch."

She took her cell phone, got up without saying and word and went into the living room. When she turned on the television, the news was still on and she immediately changed the channel. Meredith finally found a movie that she liked and laid down to watch it. Just as the movie was coming to an end, her phone rang again.

_I still hear your voice,  
When you sleep next to me.  
I still feel your touch,  
in my dreams  
Forgive me my weakness,  
But I dont know why,  
Without you it's hard to survive_

"Derek?"

"Meredith. It's me."

"Derek! Are you okay? What's going on?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry okay? I'm leaving the hospital now and I'll be at your house in a little while."

"Okay," Meredith said, beginning to cry, "I love you Derek."

"I love you too."

Meredith hung up the phone and took a deep breath and then started to sob. George had heard her phone ring and came into the living room.

_'Cause every time we touch,  
I get this feeling  
And every time we kiss,  
I swear I can fly  
Can't you feel my heart beat fast,  
I want this to last,  
Need you by my side_

"Meredith? Was that Derek? Is he okay?"

"He's fine," she said, in tears.

"Then why are you crying? He's okay."

"Because I love him so much. And he's okay."

About 20 minutes later, the doorbell rang. Meredith jumped off the couch and ran the door. She had barely opened it before she was enveloped in Derek's arms.

"I love you Derek."

"I love you too Meredith," he said, and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"Promise you'll never leave me?"

"I promise," he said and then kissed her on the lips.

_'Cause every time we touch,  
I feel estatic,  
And every time we kiss,  
I reach for the sky,  
Can't you hear my heart beat slow  
I can't let you go,  
Want you in my life._

After George had let Derek now how grateful he was that he was okay and how out of sorts Meredith was, not knowing what was going on, Meredith and Derek went up to Meredith's room. Derek sat down on the bed, and Meredith sat down on his lap and he wrapped his arms around her.

_Your arms are my castle,  
Your heart is my sky.  
They wipe away tears that I cry (I cry)  
The good and the bad times,  
We've been through them all.  
You make me rise when I fall…_

"I was so scared. You have no idea how afraid I was that I was never going to see your face again," Meredith said, the tears still rolling down her face.

Derek wiped away her tears with his thumb.

"It's okay Meredith. I'm fine."

"No, it's not fine. It's all my fault."

"What do you mean?"

"If I hadn't broken up with you…we could have been together for so much longer. Who knows what would have happened. Today, I thought that I lost you and I hated myself so much for what I did to you."

"Don't hate yourself Meredith. Everyone makes mistakes. I'm not mad at you, so you shouldn't be mad at yourself."

"I love you so much Derek."

"I love you too."

Meredith wrapped her arms around Derek's neck and kissed him deeply. He put one arm around her waist and cupped her face with the other hand. Meredith moved her arms down Derek's chest and started to unbutton his shirt.

_'Cause every time we touch,  
I get this feeling  
And every time we kiss,  
I swear I can fly  
Can't you feel my heart beat fast,  
I want this to last,  
Need you by my side_

"Woah. What happened to the no sex thing?" Derek said, taking Meredith's hands in his.

"I realized today that it's stupid."

"And why is that?" he said, brushing her hair out of her face.

_'Cause every time we touch,  
I feel the static,  
And every time we kiss,  
I reach for the sky,  
Can't you hear my heart beat slow  
I can't let you go,  
Want you in my life._

"Because, today, I thought I was never going to get another chance to be with you. I don't want something to actually happen to you and not be able to ever be with you again."

Derek smiled, "You sure?"

"I've never been more sure about anything in my life."

_'every time we touch,  
I get this feeling  
And every time we kiss,  
I swear I can fly,  
Can't you feel my heart beat fast,  
I want this to last,  
Need you by my side_

A/N: This is my longest chapter and it's great if I do say so myself. REVIEW! I need my reviews!


	49. I Would Go Anywhere With You

A/N: I'm in a bit of a rut with this story so I may not update quite as often. Sorry!! I'm just so busy w/ college stuff and other school work and my job.

Chapter 49: I Would Go Anywhere With You

The chief of surgery gave Derek the next day off because of his proximity to the shooting incident and Meredith's principal had told her to take the day off as well, despite the number of days she had missed in the past two weeks because of her mother's injury. Each of them normally got up around 5 am but was still asleep at 8 because the events of the previous day and making love all night exhausted them both.

At 8, Meredith's cell phone, which had been pushed off her night stand the night before and was lying on the floor began to ring and woke both Derek and Meredith up.

"Who is calling you at this hour?" Derek said, still half asleep and putting a pillow over his head.

Meredith groaned and rolled over and picked the phone up off the floor and answered it.

"Hello?" she said groggily.

"Meredith, it's Jason. Did I wake you up?"

"Yes, you did. Why are you calling me so freakin' early?"

"Because you're usually at work right now, but I probably know why you're not. Is Derek alright? I heard about the shooting at the hospital. I would have called yesterday but the baby was sick and I figured that if something was wrong you would call me."

"Yeah, he's fine. Except for the fact that he wants to beat you up right now for waking the both of us up."

"I'm sorry. Go back to sleep and I'll talk to you later."

"Yeah," Meredith said, and hung up the phone without saying anything else.

Meredith turned the phone off and threw it back down onto the floor and before she knew it she was asleep again. They wake up again until about 11'oclock. They were both well rested and because of the time, didn't have to deal with Izzie and George whining at them for keeping them awake all night.

Derek woke up with one of Meredith's legs across his legs and her head resting on his chest. She looked so peaceful and happy. He felt bad that he had caused her so much worry the day before. He kissed her on the top of her head and tried to slip out of bed without waking her up but failed.

"Where do you think you're going?" she said, grabbing his hand.

"Hey. Sorry I woke you up."

"Will you make it up to me?"

"Depends on how…" Derek said, raising an eyebrow.

"Get in the shower with me."

"Hmm…I don't know. I don't think we should have sex, we should go slow and…."

Before he could continue Meredith whacked him on the chest.

"Ha-ha. Very funny," she said in a mocking voice.

Derek laughed, "I would go anywhere with you Meredith."

Meredith got up and Derek took his hand and walked them into the bathroom He turned the water on and they slowly undressed each other, kissing in between removing each piece of clothing. They got into the shower and the water beat down on their bodies. Meredith ran her hands up and down Derek's wet chest and back while he ran his hands through her wet hair. She gave him a light kiss and then looked up into his eyes.

"I don't know what I would do if I ever lost you. Yesterday, when I didn't know where you were, I felt like my world was coming to an end."

"I'm sorry that you were so scared Meri. I should have called you and told you that I was okay but I had a guy with a bullet possibly lodged in his spine."

"You don't need to explain. I understand how important your job is to you."

Derek gave her a kiss on the forehead, "It's nowhere near as important as you are to me. My job will never come before you."

Meredith smiled, "Good. Because if it did, I'd have to hurt you."

Derek laughed, "I'll keep that in mind."

They stayed in the shower, kissing and making love, until the water got too cold to bear. They got out, dried off, dressed and went downstairs where Izzie was sitting at the kitchen table. Derek was carrying Meredith on his back and she was kissing his neck. He stopped abruptly when he saw Izzie sitting there and she stopped kissing him.

"Derek? What…Hi Izzie," Meredith said, with a huge fake "happy to see you" smile on her face.

Meredith loved and adored Izzie but right now she just wanted to spend time with Derek and only Derek.

"You two should seriously get a hotel room."

"Sorry," Derek said as meaningful as he could, but not meaning it all.

"Yeah, whatever you say. I have to go back to the hospital. The chief wanted me to come home and see how you were doing. Man, I love being an intern."

"Well, I'm fine. We're both fine, so you can tell the chief just that and tell him that I'll see him tomorrow."

"Okay, then. I'll leave the two you of you to do…whatever is it you do when you're alone."

Meredith, who was now sitting on the kitchen counter, eating out of a cereal box, just laughed as Izzie walked out of the kitchen and they heard the front door to the house close.

"She's just jealous because she's not getting any sex," Meredith said with her mouth completely full of Fruit Loops, Derek barely able to understand what she said.

"Okay, no more of that for you. I'm going to make you something healthy."

Derek took the box of cereal and put it back in the cupboard.

"You're mean."

Derek just smiled and shook his head as he took the ingredients for pancakes out of the cupboard. He started mixing everything in a bowl and Meredith was watching him and burst out laughing.

"What in the world are you laughing at?" he asked, stopping stirring and looking at Meredith.

"You. When your stirring or cooking anything, you make the funniest face," she said, imitating his face.

He kept stirring and Meredith burst out laughing again. She continued to giggle and Derek stuck his finger in the batter and wiped it on Meredith's nose.

"That's a good look for you," he said, going back to stirring.

"That," Meredith said, sticking her finger in the batter, "is not cool."

She chased him around the kitchen trying some of the batter on him. When she finally caught, she raised her arm to wipe the batter on him. Derek grabbed her arm and kissed her and she instantly relaxed at the touch of his lips.

After being sidetracked a bit, Derek finished making the pancakes and they enjoyed their breakfast together and decided what they were going to do for the rest of the day.

A/N: Sorry this chapter is kind of short. I think it's so cute though. But, let me know what you think. REVIEW!!!!


	50. Stressed

A/N: I think the alerts aren't working again. You can leave reviews and PM me lol…

Chapter 50: Stressed

The next morning, Meredith had to go back to work. She couldn't afford to take anymore days off for any reason. She had failed in kicking Derek out the night before. Meredith had tried because she wouldn't get any sleep with him in the bed next to her and she ended up being exactly right. Derek had succeeded in keeping her up all night, not that either of them regretted it.

Meredith's alarm went off at 5, and she rolled over Derek to get to the other side of the bed and turn it off. She sat up in bed, completely exhausted, and rubbed her face to try to at least wake herself up a little bit. Derek pulled her back down and rolled over on top of her and started kissing her neck.

"Derek…" she whined, "I have to go to work."

"But I don't, so I think you should just stay here with me."

"I'll be able to do that in a few weeks because it will be summer vacation but I can't take anymore time off. It's also Friday so we'll have the weekend."

"What if I call your boss and tell her that you're too busy having sex with your unbelievably amazing neurosurgeon boyfriend."

"I'm sure she'd take that really well."

Derek just laughed, "Can I drive you to school?"

Meredith showered and got dressed quickly and got in the car with Derek. They talked and laughed during the 15 minute ride to school. Meredith didn't want to leave him in the worst way. After the scare from the other day, she never wanted to let him out of her sight.

She got out of the car and walked around to the driver's side and Derek rolled down the window.

"Have a good day, Ms. Grey."

"You too Dr. Shepherd."

Meredith leaned in to kiss Derek and it got a little deeper than she wanted it to. She desperate didn't want to stop but had to force herself to pull away.

"I'll see you at 3," Meredith said.

"I'll be here."

Derek kissed Meredith's hand, and held on to it as she walked away until she was out of his reach. She went into school with a huge smile on her face. She went and unlocked her classroom, locked her stuff up in one of the desk drawers and headed to her morning staff meeting. One the way down the hall, she ran into Leah.

"Good morning sunshine. You look happy, what's going on?"

"What's going is that the man that I love more than life itself is perfectly okay."

Leah laughed, "Somebody got laid last night."

Meredith just looked at her with a huge grin on her face and continued down the hall to the staff meeting. She could barely concentrate during the meeting, unable to wait until she saw Derek later in the day.

"Meredith?" the principal said, "Earth to Meredith."

After the principal calling her name a few times and feeling like the whole room was staring at her, which they were, Meredith finally came out of her daydream. She was dreaming of being married to Derek, and what it would be like to have his children.

"Yeah? I'm sorry."

"What do you think of a field trip to the local community college for the juniors and seniors?"

"Yeah, I think that's a great idea. I think they could really…benefit from that."

The principal dismissed the meeting and as Meredith was walking out of the room, she lightly grabbed Meredith's elbow and stopped her from leaving.

"Can I see you in my office please, Ms. Grey?"

"Yeah," she said, nervously and followed the principal into her office.

Mrs. Abbott closed the door to her office, offered Meredith a seat and then walked around to the other side of her desk and took a seat herself.

"Meredith, I understand that there has been a lot going on with you recently but I can't have you day dreaming during staff meetings. You've missed a lot recently and your students are preparing for their end of year exams and you need to be serious."

"I'm very sorry Mrs. Abbott. You're right there has been a lot going on, but I promise that it won't get in the way of my teaching."

"Good, that's what I wanted to hear."

Meredith shook the principal's hand and then left her office and went back to her classroom. She hadn't been called into the principal's office since she was in high school and it brought back pretty bad memories of getting in trouble for skipping class or not following the dress code.

During the day, she reviewed with her students for their final exam, gave them an essay assignment and let them do some studying in groups. Meredith was walking around her classroom, checking to make sure that the students were doing their work correctly when she overheard one of their conversations.

"Chris forgot to use a condom…I didn't get my period…If I'm pregnant my mother is going to kill me."

This wasn't the first pregnancy conversation that Meredith had heard at her school, but this one was different. It made her realize that the night that she had cheated on Finn, the thought of using a condom had bypassed the both of them and she was supposed to have gotten her period 2 days ago. She just hadn't realized that she was late because of all the recent drama with her mother and the shooting at the hospital.

The school day finished off uneventful, with her hearing another conversation between the same two students.

"Oh thank goodness, I just got it…I would have been grounded for a million years."

The case wasn't the same for Meredith. She finished grading some papers and left the school at 3. She saw Derek sitting in his Range Rover in the parking lot singing along to some rock and roll song. He saw her coming in the rear view mirror, unlocked the door and turned off the music.

"Hey there, Ms. Grey," he said, leaning over and giving her a kiss.

"Hi Derek," Meredith said, sighing.

"Something wrong?" he asked, starting the car and backing out of the parking spot.

"No."

"You're a terrible liar. What's going on?"

"Nothing, it was just a long day."

"Did something happen?"

"Nothing happened. Final exams equals stressed out students and one very stressed out teacher."

"I know something that will make you a lot less stressed out," he said, moving his hand over onto her thigh.

"I'm too tired for that."

"I didn't mean that," Derek said, chuckling a little, "How about a massage? I give excellent massages."

"Really? I'm intrigued."

"When we get home, you'll just relax and I'll give you one of my famous massages."

"That sounds excellent."

Meredith knew that a massage wouldn't change the fact of her being pregnant or not but it could certainly relax her and take her mind off of things.

A/N: I know this chapter is kind of boring. Sorry about that. REVIEW!


	51. Here For You

A/N: I started writhing this last night but I got so tired that I decided to finish it in the morning. My take on Thursday's episode – Derek is being McShithead. "I broke up with Finn" "Okay" What the hell is he thinking? I was screaming at the TV. I could go on for days, but I won't….

Chapter 50: Here For You

Meredith was trying to figure out to break the news of her possible pregnancy to Derek. She knew that he needed to tell him soon but was extremely worried about what his reaction would be. They had only been back together for 2 weeks and even when they had been in a relationship for more than 6 months.

She decided to talk to Cristina first. Meredith knew that Cristina would be sarcastic and tease her and not be much help at all, but just talking about somebody about what was going on would make her feel at least a little bit better. Derek was at the hospital and Meredith called Cristina to come over.

"So, what's up Mer?" Cristina asked, pouring herself a cup of coffee.

"Um…nothing"

"You are such a bad liar, so spill. What's going on in the life of Ms. Meredith Grey?"

"I might be pregnant."

Meredith decided that it would be easier to just say it flat-out then try to hide anything or to tell Cristina in a different way. She just wished that she could do the same thing with Derek. Cristina looked at Meredith with her eyebrows raised

"So, I guess the no-sex thing isn't working out to well for you, huh?"

Meredith laid her head down on the table. Apart from being worried about what Derek's reaction would be, she was feeling pretty queasy which didn't ease her worries about currently being pregnant.

"So, you might be having a McBaby?"

"That's what pregnant means, Cristina."

"Have you and Derek talked about having a baby?"

"No. And we've only been back together for two weeks…What the hell am I going to do?" Meredith asked, lightly banging her head on the table.

"Well, for starters, you're going to tell Derek."

"How am I going to do that? We haven't talked about it at all even when we were together for a while. What am I supposed to say? Hey Derek, remember the night I cheated on Finn, well we might have conceived a child."

"I wouldn't recommend doing it that way."

"Yeah, that's good advice Cristina."

About an hour later, Cristina left because Derek was coming over for dinner. Meredith had been nauseous all day and didn't feel like eating anything but didn't want to cancel her plans. Derek got there a little bit later and let himself into the house and Meredith was lying on the couch drinking a cup of tea.

"Hey Mer...Are you okay?" he said when he noticed her curled up on the couch.

"Yeah," she said taking a deep breath, "I'm just not feeling too well."

"What's wrong?" he asked, kneeling down next to the couch.

"My stomach's been upset all day."

"Have you eaten anything?"

"No. I can't even think about eating."

"How about trying to eat something? Just some crackers and maybe some soup maybe?"

"I guess."

"Okay, you just stay here and I'll go make it for you."

Derek gave her a kiss on the forehead and then went into the kitchen to make her some food. He hated seeing her so miserable. The thought of her being pregnant didn't even cross his mind. He heated up some soup, put in a bowl, and on a plate with some saltines. When he went back into the living room, Meredith had fallen asleep.

"Meredith?" he said, gently shaking her.

She slowly opened her eyes, and smiled a weak smile.

"I made you some soup."

"Thanks Derek," she said sitting up and started to slowly eat the soup.

She finished eating and Derek sat next to her on the couch just rubbing her back and stroking her head until she fell asleep. When Derek noticed that she had fallen asleep, he picked her up and carried her up to bed. He laid her down in her bed and covered her up, trying not to wake her up.

"Derek?"

"Shhh…Just go back to sleep." You'll feel better in the morning."

"Don't leave. Get in bed with me."

Derek just smiled at her offer. He took off his shirt and crawled into bed with Meredith, cradling her in his arms. She fell asleep almost immediately in the comfort of her arms, despite the fact that she felt like she was dying.

The next morning she woke up feeling even worse than the night before. She hadn't been awake for a minute before she had to run to the bathroom. When Derek woke up, he found her sitting on the bathroom floor, with her head leaning against the wall, her face extremely pale.

"Meredith…"

"I don't feel good Derek."

"I can tell. Let's get you back into bed."

"No. I have to go to work. I can't miss anymore days of work. I promised my boss I wouldn't miss any more days."

"You can't go to school like this Mer."

"I have to. I'll be fine," she said, getting up off the floor and regaining her balance.

"You can't go to work Meredith."

"Yes, I can. I'll be fine. I am fine."

"You don't look fine. You look gorgeous but, definitely not fine."

"Derek…"

"I'm not going to argue with you Meredith because I know how stubborn you can be, but promise me that if it gets worse, you'll come home?"

"I promise."

Meredith got dressed and headed off to work feeling absolutely awful. She had wanted so badly to listen to Derek and stay home but the day before she had promised Mrs. Abbott that she wouldn't miss anymore days. Plus, being pregnant isn't an excuse for missing school.

As the day went on, Meredith started to feel better physically, but her worries about being pregnant got more and more severe. If it had been stomach bug, she would have felt crappy all day, and not just in the morning. She decided that no matter what, she would tell Derek what was going on that night.

After school, she went home and called Derek to come over. It was now or never to tell him what was going on.

"Hello?"

"Hey Derek, It's me."

"Hey Mer. How are you feeling?"

"Much better. I think it was just a 24 hour bug or something. But, um, I really need to talk to you so, can you come over?"

"I have to be here until 6 but I'll come over right after."

"Okay. I'll see you then."

"I love you."

"Love you too."

Meredith decided that just like she had done with Cristina, she was going to tell him straight out, the possibility of her being pregnant. She made them some dinner, something bland because she wasn't feeling excellent and set the table, and just waited for Derek to come over.

Derek got there and let himself into the house. She was sitting on the kitchen counter reading a magazine.

"Hey Mer."

"Hi," she said jumping off the counter and walking over and giving Derek a hug.

"You're still looking a little pale. Are you sure you're feeling better? I'm a doctor remember."

"Of course I remember. You never let me forget. And yes, I'm sure I'm feeling better. I don't feel excellent but better."

They ate some plain pasta and bread, something that would help settle Meredith's stomach and then went into the living room.

"So, you said you wanted to talk to me about something?"

"Yeah. Um…promise me you won't freak out okay?"

"Mer…just tell me."

Meredith took a deep breath, "I might be pregnant."

"What?" Derek asked, with his eyebrows raised. "How? We always use condoms and…"

"Almost always Derek…"

"What are you talking about?"

"The night you came over here and I was still with Finn, we didn't use a condom."

"So…you might be pregnant?"

"Yeah"

"Is that why you were sick?"

"I don't know. And, I'm late."

"How late?"

"4 days."

"That's not that much."

"It is for me. I'm always on time."

"Okay, um, well, tomorrow when I get to work I'll make an appointment with you with the resident OB/GYN and we'll go find out."

"Derek, are you mad?"

"Of course I'm not mad Meredith. I know that we haven't talked about having a baby but whatever happens, I'll be here for you and the baby, if there is one."

Meredith sighed, "That's a relief."

"What do you mean?" Derek asked a little confused.

"I was pretty worried about how you would react, because we never talked about having a baby, even when we were together before. I'm not sure how I feel about his. I'm pretty scared."

"I am too. But I'm here for you, no matter what."

They talked a little bit more about what they would do if Meredith was pregnant and it eased Meredith's worries very much. They went to bed, both a bit nervous about what would happen when she went to the doctor and a little bit scared, but knowing they had each other, made it a little bit easier.

A/N: I don't like my writing in this chapter. I'm in a big big rut. But, you can boost me with reviews!!!


	52. It'll All Work Out

A/N: Okay, so the boat thing mentioned in this chapter I have to explain. In DC, there are these boats that you can go on for parties and proms and stuff and they go on tours up the river. I was on one last night for a bat mitzvah and also had my prom there and it gave me a really good idea so that will probably be in the next chapter which may also be up tonight.

Chapter 52: It'll All Work Out

After school the next day, Meredith headed to the hospital for the appointment that Derek had made with the resident OB/GYN. Derek's reassurances and calmness made her feel a lot better about the possible pregnancy, even though she was still nervous. The one thing that Meredith was sure about was that the baby wasn't Finn's. Derek had asked her about that the night before and she told him that even though had been together for almost a month, they never slept together.

Meredith got to the hospital, checked in the sat in the waiting area for the doctor to come out and get here. She had paged Derek when she got there and he was on the way to meet her. She was filling out some paperwork when he came in.

"Hey Mer. How are you holding up?" he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek and sitting down next to her.

"I'm doing okay. I just want to know already. The not knowing is the part that's killing me."

"It'll all work out. I promise."

"Yea, I know. I have a question for you though," she said, finishing the paperwork and turning to face him.

"Ask away."

"I forgot to tell you about this before, and with the whole pregnancy thing it completely slipped my mind. The daughter of some family friends is having a Bat Mitzvah this Saturday and we were invited. Jason and Mel will be there with the kids and my parents will be there…will you be my date?"

Derek smiled at her. "I would love to," he said, taking her hand and kissing it.

Meredith smiled back, and Derek pushed her hair out of the face when a nurse came out into the waiting room.

"Meredith Grey?"

Meredith picked up her purse and stood up. As she was about to walk away, Derek took her hand to keep from leaving.

"Don't worry about this okay? Whatever it is, it is and we'll deal with it together."

Meredith just nodded.

Derek kissed her hand again, "I'll be here when you get out."

Meredith, as nervous as ever, followed the nurse back into an exam room. She had been thinking a lot about her situation, and now wasn't sure whether or not she wanted to be pregnant. She knew that she wanted to have Derek's baby but wasn't sure if she wanted that right now. But she also knew that if she was pregnant, she would love the child and it would create a bond between her and Derek forever.

"Okay, Ms. Grey. Can you tell me what's going on?"

"I, um, missed my period and I've been feeling quite queasy so I wanted to get a pregnancy test."

"How late are you?"

"Now, 5 days."

"Are you usually on time?"

"Yeah."

The nurse wrote down all the information she needed and then handed Meredith a gown to change into.

"You can put this on and the doctor will be here in a few minutes. After the exam, I'll take some blood so we can get you some results."

"Thank you," Meredith said, as the nurse walked out of the room.

Meredith changed into the white hospital gown, and sat on the exam table in the freezing cold room. She was looking around the room when the door opened and the doctor walked in.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Hastings, you must be Meredith."

"Nice to meet you," Meredith said, feigning a smile.

"So, you're here for a pregnancy test."

"Yeah."

"It says here that you missed your period and you've been feeling nauseous and vomiting. Correct?"

"Yup."

"Okay then. Let's do an exam and then the nurse will come back in. She'll do a blood test and we'll know very quickly if you're pregnant."

Dr. Hastings did a pelvic exam, asked Meredith some questions about her health, and as soon as she finished the nurse came in and drew some blood. The nurse told her to get dressed and she would be back as soon as possible with the results. Meredith had never been this anxious in her life.

She was sitting on the table, flipping through a magazine, but couldn't concentrate on anything she was reading. She was about to start reading an article, when the doctor came in, holding a piece of paper with the blood work results on it.

Meredith closed the magazine and looked up at the doctor.

"So?" Meredith asked, anxiously.

"According to these results Meredith, you are not pregnant."

Meredith sighed and took a moment to digest what she had just heard. She didn't know whether or not she was disappointed with the results or not. After thinking, she had warmed up to the idea of having a baby.

"Okay…then why is my period so late and why was I feeling sick?"

"Well the sick thing was probably a virus or you might have eaten something that didn't agree with you. Have you been under any stress lately?"

"Well, the whole shooting thing here at the hospital was a big deal because of Derek. And I'm a teacher and its final exam time."

"That can explain it. Sometimes, if your body is under too much stress, it doesn't function correctly. I recommended some relaxation once the school year ends. Everything should go back to normal, but if it doesn't come back and see me."

"Thank you Dr. Hastings."

"My pleasure, Meredith."

Meredith left the exam room and went out into the waiting area where Derek was reading a magazine. Meredith came up from behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. Derek stood up quickly and followed Meredith out into the hallway.

"So?" he asked, just as she had done with the doctor.

Meredith just shook her head, and then started to cry.

"Hey, hey, don't cry," Derek said, hugging her, and rubbing her back.

"I'm sorry," she said, between cries.

"What are you sorry for? You have nothing to apologize for," he said, talking her head in his hands.

"Because I'm not pregnant."

"You're sorry for not being pregnant? Mer, you have absolutely nothing to be sorry for."

"But I know how much you want a baby, and you'd be such a great father."

"Meredith, of course I want to have a baby with you. But we'll have a baby when we're ready, and not a moment before," he said, and wiped the tears off her face.

"Thank you."

"For what?" he asked, tilting his head and looking at her with his piercing gaze.

"For being you."

Derek chuckled, "Let's go home okay?"

Meredith nodded, and Derek took his hand and walked them out of the hospital

A/N: I really like this chapter!! Probably another one tonight, but I'm not sure. The alerts still aren't working…ugh. REVIEW ANYWAY!!!


	53. They're So Great Together

A/N: Okay, so the boat thing is the bat mitzvah reception. I didn't actually mention it in the chapter, just the bat mitzvah.

Chapter 53: They're So Great Together

When Derek and Meredith got back to Meredith's house, Meredith just walked into the house without saying a word and went into the living room and sat down on the couch, staring into space. Izzie and George were both out of the house. Before going to her appointment, Meredith had told them what was going on and they figured pregnant or not, Meredith and Derek would want some time alone.

Derek walked over and kneeled down in front of Meredith and took her hands. He was worried about her reaction. She had been so freaked out about the pregnancy and thought that if she was going to have a baby then Derek would break up with her because he didn't want a kid right then. He never expected her to be so upset.

"Meredith, are you alright?"

She didn't respond to him. She just sat there, staring at the blank television screen.

Derek took a deep breath, "Mer, please talk to me."

"I don't want to talk," she said, monotonously.

"Alright, I'm going to go make us something to eat. Anything special you want?"

"I don't care."

Derek gave Meredith a kiss on the forehead and went into the kitchen. He made them some chicken and some pasta and then set the table. He went into the living room to get Meredith and let her know that dinner was ready and she was sitting in the same position, staring into space like she was when he left her.

"Dinner's ready."

"I'm not hungry."

Derek sat down on the couch next to Meredith. He was really worried about her and what was going on.

"Meredith, will you please talk to me?"

"There's nothing to talk about Derek. I'm not pregnant. Not pregnant. No baby," she said, getting up and going into the kitchen."

"We should talk about this."

"There's nothing to talk about."

"Did you want to be pregnant?"

Meredith sat down at the table, and looked up at Derek.

"I just really don't want to talk about this right now Derek. Let's just eat okay? We'll go to the Bat Mitzvah tomorrow, enjoy ourselves, and then we'll talk about it. Okay?"

"It's a deal."

They ate dinner quietly, but it was a calm quiet, not an awkward quiet. The next morning, they got up and went to the Bat Mitzvah service. Derek had on a nice suit and looked very handsome, and Meredith had on a skirt, heels and a sweater. They drove to the synagogue and were sitting listening to the service.

"You look beautiful, Mer," he whispered in her ear.

She looked over at him and smiled, and took his hand and sat there for the rest of the morning just holding hands, and running her fingers along his hand. The service ended and they went to the luncheon in the social hall. Meredith and Mel were in the restroom and about to leave when Melissa stopped Meredith from leaving.

"Are you okay, Mer? You seem a little out of sorts."

"Can I tell you something? You have to promise not to tell my parents or Jason."

"I promise."

Meredith checked to make sure that there was nobody else in the bathroom who she knew.

"Derek and I had a bit of a pregnancy scare."

"What? I've seen so many condoms in your house you could open your own store."

"Yeah, well we were a big negligent."

"So, that's what's been bothering you?"

"I don't know. I was really scared when I realized I could be pregnant but then I sort of warmed up to the idea. I love Derek so much, and I could just picture myself with him and our child."

"Everything will work out Meredith. When's the time's right, you'll know it. You won't have any doubts about it."

"Thanks Mel."

Meredith gave Melissa a hug and then went back out into the social hall with everyone else. She and Derek said goodbye to everyone, and let them know that they would see them all later on the dinner cruise.

Derek and Meredith went home and just spent some quality time together. They were just lying around on the couch, watching movies until Meredith realized what time it was. She got up off the couch, and Derek stopped her.

"Hey, hey, hey, where do you think you're going?" he said pulling her back down onto the couch, starting to kiss her neck.

"Derek…I have to get ready to go."

"You have an hour and a half."

She laughed, "There's plenty of time for…that…later. Promise."

Meredith got off of the couch and went upstairs to get dressed. She put on a satiny, black top, jeans and stilettos and came downstairs. Derek was wearing a dress shirt, and some nice pants.

"You look beautiful Meredith."

She just smiled, "Ready to go?"

"I'm ready if you are."

They got into the car and drove to the marina. Derek went to the ticket window and got their tickets and then they boarded the boat, and got their picture taken as they got on. They got their seating assignments and headed to their table where Mel and Jason were already sitting down with the kids.

They said hello to them and the kids and then went to the bar to get a drink. Before long, Ellis and Thatcher showed up.

"Hi Mom and Dad," Meredith said, hugging the two of them.

"Hi Mr. and Mrs. Grey," Derek said, shaking their hands.

"It's so nice to see you Derek. I know we saw you this morning, but it's nice to see you again," Ellis said.

Meredith introduced Derek into some more family friends - Terri and Steve, and Jeanne and Larry, both old friends of Meredith's parents. They were all having a nice conversation about Derek teaching Meredith how to cook.

"She didn't even boil water for pasta before she met him, and last time we were over at her house, she made us lasagna," Jason said.

"She has potential," Derek said, laughing, "Before long, we'll have her cooking a lot more on our own."

Meredith just sat there a little embarrassed, but glad that Derek was getting along with her family and their friends. A few minutes later, the DJ got everybody's attention so that he could introduced the family and the bat mitzvah girl. They came out, and then everyone was seated so that the waiters could take dinner orders.

"I'm going to go outside and get some air okay?" Meredith whispered to Derek.

"Want some company?"

"Sure," Meredith turned to her mom, "We're going to go out on the deck and get some air. Will you come get us when the dinner is served?"

"Sure, honey."

Meredith took Derek's hand they went out onto the boat deck. Meredith leaned up against the railing and Derek wrapped his arms around her waist, entwining his fingers with hers.

"Are you doing alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, I think so."

"You know you're amazing."

"I am?"

"You are."

Meredith turned around to face Derek, "I'm sorry I freaked out on you last night. It's just that when I realized that I might be pregnant, I was really afraid that you would leave me because you weren't ready for that. And then you were so supportive, I started to get used to the idea. I could see us and a little baby and it was so perfect. Then when I found out I wasn't pregnant, it was kind of disappointing."

"First of all, you don't have to apologize. You did what you needed to do to deal with what was going on. Second, I promise you that when we're ready, we'll have a baby. And you aren't the only one who has had that dream of us and little baby, because I have to and I can't wait until it comes true."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. When we're both ready, we'll have a baby. I promise."

Meredith smiled and turned back around to look out at the water, "I love you," she said turning her head so he could hear her.

"You have no idea," he whispered in her ear, his hot breath tickling her neck.

Inside the boat, Ellis and Thatcher and their friends could see Derek and Meredith on the boat deck in each other's arms.

"They are so great together, Ellis," Terri said.

"Yeah, they are," she agreed, "I've never seen her this happy."

"Do you think they're going to get married?" Jeanne asked.

"I don't know. They were together for about 6 months and then Meredith broke up with him. I'm still not completely sure why, but she was completely heartbroken. The got back together a few weeks ago, right after my accident I guess."

"You brought them back together Ellis," Jeanne said.

"I think even if they hadn't run into each other at the hospital, they would have gotten back together. They love each other too much."

A/N: Continuation of the Bat Mitzvah tomorrow. Review, as always.


	54. No Place That Far

A/N: I didn't go to school today b/c I wasn't feeling well and my parents are really mad at me and told me I'm not supposed to be on the computer…but I am anyway. I'm also not allowed to watch Grey's on Thursday (they know how to hit me where it hurts) but little do they know it's not a new episode.

Chapter 54: No Place That Far

They were still out on the deck, Derek with his arms wrapped around Meredith's waist, looking out at the water as they went up the river. Inside the boat, the waiters were coming around serving dinner and Ellis got up to go outside and let them know that their food was at the table. When she got outside, they were laughing, and exchanging little kisses.

"Hey, you two. They just served the dinners."

"Thanks for telling us. We'll be in in a few minutes," Meredith answered.

Ellis just smiled at her daughter and went back inside. She was so happy to see her daughter so happy and was so grateful to Derek for being responsible for it. She couldn't have picked someone better for her daughter if she had had the opportunity to choose.

A few minutes later, Derek and Meredith walked back inside, holding hands and sat down and their table and ate dinner, occasionally feeding each other, letting each other taste the other's meal. They finished eating and the waiters came around and cleared the tables. As soon as all the tables were cleared, the dancing started. All of the teenage girls, and the bat mitzvah girl were out on the dance floor having a great time.

Derek and Meredith were watching all the girls, dancing around and having fun when the DJ started to play a slower song.

"We're going to slow it down a little bit now. Let's get all the couples out here on the dance floor. Come on!"

_I cant imagine, any greater fear  
Then waking up, without you here  
And though the sun, will still shine on  
My whole world, would all be gone  
But not for long_

A few couples headed to the dance floor, and Meredith turned and looked at Derek, with her eyebrows raised, and put out her hand for Derek to take.

"Oh no. I don't dance."

"You danced with me at Cristina and Burke's wedding."

"That's because I was trying to impress you."

"Derek…please!"

He laughed at her persistence, "Okay"

He got up and took her hand and led her out to the dance floor, with the whole family watching. They all loved Derek and hoped that they stayed together. Mel and Jason knew better than anyone because they had spent the most time with them, that they were absolutely perfect together.

_If I had to run, if I had to crawl  
If I had to swim a hundred rivers, just to climb a thousand walls  
Always know that I will find a way, to get to where you are  
There's no place that far_

Derek put on arm around Meredith's waist in the other hand, while she put her other arm around his neck and they started to dance.

"You know I never dance. You have to be really special to get me to dance."

"I'll take that as a compliment then," she said laughing.

_It wouldn't matter why were apart  
Lonely minds or two stubborn hearts  
Nothing short of God above  
Could turn me away from your love  
I need you that much_

They just stood there, moving around the dance floor in each other's arms. It reminded Meredith of the night that they had met. That night had turned out to be one of the best of her life. If she hadn't known Cristina and Burke, she never would have met Derek and been in the great place she was now.

_If I had to run, if I had to crawl  
If I had to swim a hundred rivers, just to climb a thousand walls,  
Always know that I will find a way, to get to where you are,  
There's no place that far_

"Derek?" Meredith said, taking her head off of his shoulder, and moving so she could look him in the eyes.

"Yea?" he asked, tilting his head.

"All the little girls are checking you out," she said laughing.

Derek looked at the table where the bat mitzvah girl and all her friends were sitting and saw them all looking at him and giggling. They weren't out on the dance floor because not many boys had been invited. They were out of the boys are yucky stage but not in the dating stage yet.

He looked over at them again, "They're cute, but not as cute as you," he said looking back at her, stroking her cheek with his thumb.

_If I had to run, if I had to crawl  
If I had to swim a hundred rivers, just to climb a thousand walls,  
Always know that I will find a way, to get to where you are,  
There's no place that far_

Meredith smiled, "I want have a baby with you, Derek."

"You do?"

"Yea, but not right now. Neither of us is ready for that kind of responsibility. But someday soon, I want to have a baby with you."

Derek gave Meredith a light kiss on the forehead, "I can't wait."

Meredith smiled at him, "You know what else I can't wait for?" she whispered in his ear seductively.

"What?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"All the attempts we're going to have at making that baby."

Derek laughed, "Me neither."

They finished dancing just as the dessert was served. They ate the dessert and the party finished on a really nice note. The bat mitzvah girl danced with her father, and halfway through the song, Meredith and Thatcher, and a few other father-daughter duos joined them on the dance floor.

Soon after, the boat docked and the party ended. Meredith and Derek said goodbye to everyone and went home to start practicing for making a baby.

_Baby there's no place that far_

A/N: This will be it until Wednesday because I have to work tomorrow. As always, click that little purple button and REVIEW!!


	55. Happy Birthday Part 1

A/N: Sorry I haven't updated. I've had a rough couple of days. I've also been fighting with my parents so this afternoon I went out with my mom just so we can spend some time together. We went and painted pottery!! I also had to get Halloween decorations. Why is there no new Grey's tonight? ARGH!

Chapter 55: Happy Birthday – Part 1

It was coming up on Meredith's favorite time of year. School had finished and she didn't have to deal with the stress of helping the students study for exams or making up lesson plans every night. She was now on vacation, and her birthday was in a couple of days. Of course, Derek didn't have the same luxury of a summer vacation, but she was grateful that now when he had the day off, she could spend time with him instead of being at school.

Derek asked her over and over again what she wanted to do for her birthday and what she wanted as a gift and she answered over and over again that there was nothing she specifically wanted, or wanted to do, except to be with him. After realizing that she wasn't going to cooperate, he took it upon himself to make plans to celebrate her birthday. He knew from experience that if a woman says she doesn't want anything it means she wanted something, and he knew exactly what he was going to do and what he was going to get her.

On the night before Meredith's birthday, Derek was at Meredith's house and they were just lying around watching movies. Derek was about to leave, and they were standing at the door.

"I have big plans for you tomorrow," Derek said, putting his jacket on.

"Really?" Meredith said, raising her eyebrows.

"Sure do. I'll be here in the morning. Early in the morning. So you better be ready."

"How early?"

"9 o'clock. I expect you to be dressed and ready to go."

"Ready to go where?"

"Breakfast. I'll see you tomorrow."

Derek opened the door, leaned over and gave Meredith a kiss and told her that he loved her and then left. Izzie and George were in the kitchen playing a board game. Meredith got a bottle of water from the fridge and sat down at the table with him.

"Do you have any idea what Derek's up to?"

Derek had told them exactly what was going on but had sworn them to secrecy and threatened to beat them up if they told Meredith anything. He could be very scary when he tried and he didn't want anything to ruin the surprises he had planned.

"Nope. No idea," they both answered shaking their heads.

"You are such liars. What is going on?"

"Nothing Mer. Want to play with us? We'll start a new game."

Meredith gave up her attempts to get any information out of Izzie and George and started to play Candyland with the two of them.

The next morning, Meredith's alarm clock went off at 8 so that she could be ready by the time Derek came to pick her up. She sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes and then went downstairs to see if George was awake yet. Izzie had told her that she had to be at the hospital in the morning but would be home at night to celebrate. George was sitting at the kitchen table eating a bowl of cereal and next to him was a huge vase of flowers.

"Where did those come from?" Meredith asked sleepily.

"They're for you. They were delivered like a half hour ago."

Meredith yawned and then took the card out of the flowers. They were identical to the ones that Derek had sent to her the Monday after they met at Cristina and Burke's wedding and had been delivered to her school.

_Happy Birthday Meredith!! _

_I can't wait to spend the day with you._

_I hope you enjoy everything I have planned. _

_I'll be there to pick you up soon._

Love, Derek 

Meredith smiled after reading the note. She was a bit nervous about what Derek had in store for her but whatever it was, she was sure it would be great. She went upstairs and took a shower; blow dried her hair and got dressed. By the time she was done putting on makeup and getting ready, the doorbell rang. She went downstairs and opened the door and Derek was standing there with a bunch of Happy Birthday balloons.

"Happy Birthday," Derek said, with a huge smile.

"Thank you. Thank you for the balloons and the flowers."

Derek put the balloons down and gave her a hug and a kiss. They tied the balloons onto the banister and Meredith was about to go into the kitchen to pour herself a cup of coffee.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?" Derek asked, pulling her back in front of him.

"Coffee. It's early. Since you made me get up at the butt crack of dawn on my birthday, I at least deserve a cup of coffee."

"Can you wait 20 minutes to get coffee at the restaurant?"

"Restaurant?"

"Yes, a restaurant. You know, the place you go and order food and they bring it to you and then you pay? We're going to go eat breakfast."

Meredith gave Derek the "Oh Please" look. He just laughed at her.

"That's a pretty cute face. Come on lets go."

Meredith just shook her head, got her purse and followed Derek out the door and got into his car. She loved that he was treating her like a princess today. When she was a little girl, she always believed that that was how she deserved to be treated by the man she loved. She didn't want to constantly spoiled, but every girl needs some pampering from time to time, and what better day than your birthday.

It took them about 20 minutes to get to the restaurant. Meredith thought it was going to be bigger and fancier, but it was a cozy little café that looked like a cottage. Everybody was so friendly and it seemed like the place was family owned.

They enjoyed their breakfast. Meredith ordered pancakes and the waitress brought it with candles in it. They finished eating and Derek paid the bill and they got up to leave the restaurant.

"Thank you for breakfast."

"The day's just getting started," he said, leading her to car, and heading off to their next activity.

BIRTHDAY DAY IS TO BE CONTINUED… 

A/N: Hope you all like it. Lot's more birthday stuff to come. I'm not exactly sure when Mer's b-day is but I decided for my story now is good. More tomorrow. REVIEW!!!


	56. Happy Birthday Part 2

A/N: More birthday fun…I think you all are really going to like this. I'm going on a college visit tomorrow so I don't know if there will be another chapter then, but if not, then Sunday. There will be at least one more chapter this weekend.

Chapter 56: Happy Birthday – Part 2

The next stop was the ferryboats. It was "their place" and Meredith wasn't at all surprised that Derek took her there next. The only thing that was different this time was that Derek had arranged for them to go up into the part of the boat where the captain stays. Derek had told them that it was her birthday in advance and they gave the two of them a special tour and they didn't have to pay for the ride.

After the ferry ride, they went to the park and had a picnic lunch that Derek had pre-ordered. They sat on a blanket underneath a tree eating and cuddling and just watching all the people walking by and the dogs running around. They walked around for a little while on a really nice path with beautiful trees and flowers.

At about 3:00, Derek drove Meredith home. He just stopped in front of the house and didn't get out of the car and walk her up to the door like he usually does. They just sat there in the car until one of them spoke.

"Are you going to go into your house?" Derek asked.

"So, this is it? End of the birthday day?" Meredith said a bit disappointed.

"Not even close. Go inside and follow the directions and no cheating. I'll see you later."

Derek leaned over to give Meredith a kiss but she stopped him.

"No cheating? Derek, what are you talking about?"

"Just go inside and you'll know," he leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek, "Bye!"

Meredith gave Derek a weird look and got out of the car and went inside. When she got in, she saw a huge piece of paper at the foot of the stairs. Izzie and George must have been in on this because Derek wouldn't have time to set anything up because he had been with her all morning. She picked up the piece of paper and read it.

_You just got home from breakfast and a wonderful ferry ride with me._

_I hope that you're having a great birthday so far, but there's much more to come._

_Go upstairs, and you'll find a surprise._

_Love, D_

Meredith smiled at the amount of thought and effort Derek had put into making the day special for her and was curious to know what was upstairs for her. She quickly ran upstairs and went into her room, and on her bed was a box, with another note on top.

_Inside this box is just one of the many gifts I have for you today_

_I hope you like it but don't put it on yet_

_After you look at it, go into the bathroom for your next surprise_

_Love, D_

Meredith opened up the box and unfolded the tissue paper and picked up a gorgeous, black, sparkling, floor length dress. It was exactly her size. Izzie had definitely helped Derek with that. The dress was absolutely beautiful and she couldn't wait to try it on but she had to follow Derek's directions and headed into the bathroom.

There were lots of flowers, scented candles and bubble bath. Propped up in front of the bottle of bubble bath was yet another note.

_Take a nice, hot, relaxing bath_

_You deserve it more than anyone_

_Light some candles and put on some nice music and enjoy yourself_

_But don't stay in too long_

_When you get out, dry off and then look on the bottom of the box your dress was in_

_Love, D_

Meredith put the note down and picked up the bottle of bubble bath. It was lavender from Bath and Body works – Izzie had definitely been in on this too. She couldn't see Derek even stepping foot in that store. She lit the candles while the tub filled up and as soon as it was full she got in. Meredith lay in the bath thinking about how lucky she was to have Derek and reminded herself not to take him or all the things he did for her for granted.

After about a half hour and before her whole body became a prune, she got out of the tub and wrapped herself in one of her fluffy purple towels. She blew out the candles and drained the bathtub and went back into her bedroom to find the next "clue" from Derek. She took the dress out of the box and laid it on the bed and then turned the box over to see a note written on the bottom.

_I hope you enjoyed your bath_

_The next thing I want you to do is put on this dress that is not as nearly as beautiful as you_

_A car will be here to pick you up at 7:00 sharp so be ready_

_I can't wait to see you_

_Love, D_

Meredith just smiled at Derek's sweetness. She had no idea how he had thought of this idea but it was a perfect way to spend her birthday and she couldn't wait for whatever was coming next. She put the dress on it and it fit perfectly. She put on makeup and fixed her hair, and then went downstairs to wait to be picked up.

Just as she was about to sit down and thought that the car was going to be late, the doorbell rang. She opened the door and there was a man standing there dressed very nicely, with a driver's hat on.

"You must be Meredith Grey," he said.

"I am."

"Well, then this car is for you. Dr. Shepherd has requested you to arrive at 8:00 sharp so we need to be on our way."

"Okay, just let me get my purse."

Meredith grabbed a little black clutch purse, checked herself in the mirror one more time and then followed to driver to the car. He opened the back door for her and she got in. He walked around and started the car and began to drive.

"I would say Miss, that you are a very lucky girl. Dr. Shepherd seems to be taking very good care of you."

"You're right I am lucky, and yes he does take good care of me. But, um, can you tell me where you're taking me?"

"Sorry Miss. I can't do that. Dr. Shepherd asked me to keep it a secret."

"Yeah, he's been doing that a lot today," Meredith said sighing and leaning back in the seat.

About a half an hour later, they arrived in a front of a huge, and beautiful building. It was a very fancy restaurant with a hotel attached. The driver got out of the car and came around and opened the door for Meredith. She got up and looked up at the building in awe.

"Have a good evening," the driver said, about to get back in the car and go to his next client.

"Wait. Where am I supposed to go?"

"There will be somebody inside waiting for you."

"Thank you," Meredith said, a little bit nervous and headed inside.

When she got inside, a man was standing there and when he saw her come in he walked over to her.

"Are you Ms. Grey?" he asked very politely.

"I am. Do you know where I'm supposed to go?"

"Indeed I do. Dr. Shepherd is waiting for you in the restaurant, please follow me."

She followed the very nice man into the restaurant where she saw a table with Derek, Izzie, George, Cristina, Burke, her mom and dad, and Jason and Mel. Everybody was dressed up and when Derek saw Meredith come in he stood up and came over to her.

Meredith was amazed at what Derek had arranged. She knew that she had said that all she wanted was to be with him, but what he had done was fabulous and she couldn't ask for anything better. Derek gave her a kiss on the cheek and whispered "Happy Birthday" in her ear.

BIRTHDAY NIGHT TO BE CONTINUED

A/N: How are you all liking this? The dress – think of Meredith's prom dress, that is what I was picturing there. There will be another part to it but before I write that you have to review!!!!


	57. Happy Birthday Part 3

A/N: Sorry about the delay! I've been busy w/ college stuff (just submitted my first application) and some other things so…again, sorry!!

Chapter 57: Happy Birthday – Part 3

Meredith walked around the table and said hello to everybody who was there. She couldn't believe that Derek had arranged for them all to be there at the same time. Getting Jason, Mel and Cristina there would have been easy, but Burke and Izzie didn't have flexible schedules at the hospital, and as head of neurology, Meredith was sure that Derek had pulled some strings to make sure they were there.

After greeting everybody, Meredith walked back around to her side of the table and sat down next to Derek.

"Are you surprised?" he asked, with a huge smile on his face.

"You have no idea. How did you pull this off?"

"I have my ways," he said slyly.

The waitress came and took their drink orders, and Derek made sure to order a bottle of champagne for the birthday girl. Their other drinks along with the champagne were delivered to the table and then the waitress came back and took their dinner orders. Almost everyone ended up ordering pasta because that restaurant was known for their homemade pasta and delicious marinara sauce.

They had nice conversation while they ate dinner, Meredith telling everyone about all the things that Derek had done for her, including the little scavenger hunt in her house and the tour on the ferryboat. Burke wasn't surprised because he had known Derek for a long time but everyone else including Meredith, thought it was incredibly amazing and romantic.

The waitress came and took the tables and Meredith saw Derek give a little nod to the waitress and began to get a bit suspicious about what was going on. A few minutes later she came out with a cake with candles, already lit and sat it down on the table and Derek started everybody singing Happy Birthday. Meredith made a wish and then blew out the candles and then the waitress cut and served the cake.

_Every time our eyes meet  
This feeling inside me  
Is almost more than I can take   
Baby when you touch me  
I can feel how much you love me  
And it just blows me away  
I've never been this close to anyone or anything  
I can hear your thoughts  
I can see your dreams_

They were all in the middle of eating their cake when Derek tapped his knife on his glass to get everybody's attention. When everybody had stopped talking and eating, he started talking, and the band in the restaurant began to play a slow song. Meredith had absolutely no clue what was going on.

"I would like to make a toast to the birthday girl," he said, raising his glass and turning to Meredith.

She turned to look at him as he began to speak.

"Meredith, you are the most amazing person that I have ever met. The night that I met you was the best night of my life. I know that we've had some tough times, and times apart but I think that those have only made us personally and our relationship stronger. You make me want to be a better person. You are the most beautiful, caring, and overall incredible woman that I have ever met and I never want to be without you..."

Derek pulled a little black box out of his pocket and knelt down in front of Meredith, who had tears streaming down her face.

"Meredith Grey, will you marry me?"

Meredith could barely speak. She was so happy, overwhelmed and surprised. She hadn't expected this at all, even with all the things that Derek had done during the day. She was finally able to squeak out a yes, and Derek slid a gorgeous diamond ring on her finger.

_I don't know how you do what you do  
I'm so in love with you  
It just keeps getting better  
I want to spend the rest of my life  
With you by my side  
Forever and ever  
Every little thing that you do  
Baby, I'm amazed by you_

After he put the ring on her, she stood up, cupped his face in her hands and kissed him. It didn't take long until Cristina said something.

"Okay, save that for later please."

Meredith, who had started laughing, sniffled because she was still crying, and broke the kiss. She had a huge smile on her face, as did Derek. She couldn't believe that this was happening to her. When she was a little girl, she had dreamt of an amazingly romantic proposal, and now her dream had come true. Everybody else in the restaurant who had witnessed his proposal were clapping.

"May I have this dance?" Derek asked, taking her hand.

_The smell of your skin  
The taste of your kiss  
The way you whisper in the dark   
Your hair all around me  
Baby you surround me  
You touch every place in my heart  
Oh, it feels like the first time, every time  
I want to spend the whole night in your eyes_

Meredith didn't say anything she just took Derek's hand and let him lead them out onto the dance floor. Everyone in the room's eyes were on them and it was a bit nerve wracking but they both figured they should get used to it because that is how it will be at their wedding.

_Every little thing that you do  
I'm so in love with you  
It just keeps getting better  
I want to spend the rest of my life  
With you by my side  
Forever and ever  
Every little thing that you do  
Baby, I'm amazed by you_

"Happy Birthday," Derek whispered in Meredith's ear.

A huge smile broke across her face. Today was the best birthday that she had ever had in her entire life.

A/N: This was really hard for me to write. I don't know why but I hope you all like it!!!! Review please!


	58. Look At That Thing

A/N: I am sooooooooooooooooooo sorry that I haven't updated!! So sorry! I hope you all haven't deserted me!!

Chapter 58: Look At That Thing

The next day, Meredith had to go to school to clean out her classroom because the school year was officially over. Derek dropped her off, and was going to come back and help her load all of the stuff into her car to take back home. Meredith was one of the first teachers to get there. She went into her classroom and started to take posters off the wall. About 15 minutes later, Alison, another teacher, came into her classroom.

"Hey Meredith."

"Alison. Hi." Meredith said, a little out of breath.

"Wow, what time did you get here? You're almost done."

"Derek dropped me off and he's coming back to pick me up so I have to be quick."

At that moment, Alison noticed the sparkling ring on Meredith's finger.

"Excuse me, Ms. Grey, but what is that?" Alison asked pointing to Meredith's hand.

A huge smile broke out across Meredith's face and she got down from the chair that she was standing on.

"Derek and I are engaged," she said, sticking out her hand for Alison to see.

"Holy hell, look at that thing!" she said, taking Meredith's hand, admiring the ring, "So, where can I find myself a brain surgeon?"

Meredith was telling Alison the story about her birthday and everything that he had set up for her, leading up to dinner with her family and friends where he proposed in front of them and the whole restaurant. Just as she was finishing the story, Derek came in. He was leaning against the doorway, and neither of them noticed that he was there, until he cleared his throat.

"Speak of the devil," Alison said, and walked over, and put her arm around Derek, "So, Derek, do you have any friends? Brothers? Rich friends or brothers?"

Meredith laughed, "Ali, get off of my fiancé."

Alison let go of Derek and he walked over and gave Meredith a kiss.

"Derek, I'm serious. If you know anyone, Meredith has my number.

Derek smiled, "I'll keep that in mind. How are you doing with the packing Mer?"

"I'm almost done. If you could take these boxes to the car, and I'll finish packing everything up."

"Sure. I'll be right back."

Derek picked up a few boxes and left the room to take the stuff out to the car.

"You are so lucky Meredith."

"I know," she said, with a huge smile on her face.

Derek helped Meredith finish packing up the stuff and they drove back to her house. They carried the boxes inside and stored them in the basement and then went up to the kitchen for lunch.

"You hungry?" Derek asked, giving Meredith a hug.

"Very."

"Okay, then, let's make you some lunch."

Derek gave Meredith a kiss on the cheek and went to start making them lunch. Meredith just sat on the counter, snacking on chips and watching Derek cook. No matter what he did, he looked amazing, especially when he was cooking, because he always knew exactly what to do.

"Derek?"

"Yea?" he asked turning around.

"I can't wait to marry you."

Derek smiled, "Me either," and then went back to cooking.

A/N: I know this is EXTREMELY short, but I wanted to post something. Next chapter will begin the wedding planning I think. Again, so sorry about the lack of updates. Review!!


	59. AUTHORS NOTE

AUTHORS NOTE:

I AM SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING THIS STORY, AND FOR MAKING YOU GUYS THINK THAT THIS WAS A NEW CHAPTER. I AM SINCERELY SORRY. I HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY BUSY W/ HOMEWORK. ALL MY COLLEGE APPS ARE DONE AND I GOT MY FIRST ACCEPTANCE ON SATURDAY. HOPEFULLY I'LL BE ABLE TO UPDATE THIS WEEKEND. I HOPE YOU ALL HAVEN'T DESERTED ME!!

XOXOX


	60. Been In Love Ever Since

A/N: I know it's been a really long time since I updated so I'll just apologize profusely and go on with the story…

Chapter 59: Been In Love Ever Since

The next few months passed pretty quickly. Since Meredith didn't have school, she spent most of her time working on wedding plans. Izzie helped when she wasn't at the hospital and even Cristina was of some assistance, considering she had done a little bit of the work for her own wedding. The only person who didn't help much was Derek, because Meredith wouldn't let him. She joked that they would end up with footballs as centerpieces and tuna fish sandwiches as the main course.

One night Meredith was sitting at the kitchen table looking through a book with pictures of places for the ceremony and reception. Derek was sitting across the table paying bills and working on some paper work for the hospital.

"Hey Der?"

"Hmm?" he answered, not even looking up.

"When's your next day off?"

"Derek put his pen down and looked up at Meredith, "Thursday. Why?"

"I've picked out a couple of places to choose from for the wedding and I was wondering if you wanted to go look at them with me."

"I thought I wasn't allowed to help," Derek said in a fake mocking tone.

"There are some things you can help with and some you can't. And this is one you can because it's your wedding too and I want you to at least like the place where we get married."

"I'm just kidding Mer. Of course I'll come with you."

"Thursday?"

"It's a date," he said, "So where are we looking?"

"Um, a couple places. I think that it'd be easier to have the ceremony and reception at the same place. It would be easier for us and the guests wouldn't have to drive all of the place."

"Whatever you want is fine with me," Derek said, with a smile.

The next Thursday they left the house and headed to the first possible spot, one of Seattle's ritziest hotels. Meredith had made an appointment for a tour. She gave her name to the receptionist to let them know that they were there and then went and sat down to wait.

"So what do you think?" Meredith asked sitting down next to Derek on a couch in the lobby.

"It's really nice, but you can't judge a hotel by its lobby."

"Meredith laughed and stuck her tongue out at Derek just as the hotel's wedding planner walked up.

"You must be the bride-to-be," she said reaching out to shake Meredith's hand, "I'm Laura Roberts, my assistance spoke to you on the phone."

"Meredith Grey," she answered, untangling herself from Derek and standing up and shaking Laura's hand, "This is my fiancé Derek Shepherd."

Derek stood up to shake her hand and Laura couldn't take her eyes off of the man standing in front of her. She couldn't help but be jealous of the woman he was marrying and whose wedding she may be responsible for planning.

"Nice to meet you Ms. Grey, Mr. Shepherd," she said, coming out of her stupor.

"Actually, it's Dr. Shepherd," Derek corrected.

"Pardon me, Dr. Shepherd" she said flirtatiously, swooning even more now that she knew he was a doctor.

Meredith realized what was happening but decided not to make a big deal about it, figuring that the woman was just trying to be nice and make a good impression so that she would get their business.

"So the first place I'm going to show is the bridal suite. If you'll follow me, we'll go upstairs."

Derek took Meredith's hand and they followed Laura into an elevator and headed up to the 8th floor.

"So how did you two meet?" Laura asked as the elevator door closed.

"Actually, we met at our friends wedding. Meredith stepped on my foot and then I asked her to dance with me and I've been with love with her ever since," Derek explained, looking at Meredith with a huge smile on his face.

Laura was envious of their romantic meeting and the looks that Derek was giving Meredith. For all of her life, she had dreamed of having someone look at her that way and even though he was engaged, the man standing in front of her seemed to be the perfect candidate.

"So when did you get engaged?" she asked.

"June. And we want to have the wedding in February" Meredith answered.

"That's a long engagement. Why are you waiting so long?"

"I'm a neurosurgeon and the holidays tend to be the craziest, busiest times and I have a few conferences coming up so we didn't want to be rushed with the planning," Derek explained as they got off the elevator and followed Laura to the bridal suite.

"A neurosurgeon?" Laura said, raising her eyebrows, "Impressive."

Her actions didn't go unnoticed by Meredith who was beginning to dislike the woman more and more each time she spoke.

"So this is the bridal suite," Laura said, closing the door, "It has a living room, bedroom with a king size bed, and a very large bathroom with a tub with jets."

"It's amazing," Derek said, taking Meredith's hand and walking around the suite.

Despite disliking the woman who was giving the tour, Derek was right. The suite was beautiful and she could imagine getting ready and then spending her wedding night in that room.

"Shall we go downstairs to the ballroom?"

"Yea, sure," Meredith answered, still in awe.

They all got back into the elevator and headed to the bottom floor. The hallway where the ballrooms were was elegantly decorated, and there wasn't even an event planned for that day. They went into the largest room of all of them, and Derek took Meredith's hand and led her to the center of the room. Laura just watched. She realized how in love he was with her, but people's feelings changed, and she was intent on changing Derek's feelings so that they were aimed towards her instead.

They finished up the tour, looking at the room where the ceremony would take place and the bride's room. They got Laura's card and headed back out to the car.

"So what do you think?" Derek asked, starting the car and pulling out of the parking lot.

"I loved it. It's amazing."

"I agree. Do you even want to look at the other place?"

"No…No, I want to take this place. But, we need a different wedding planner," Meredith said, adamantly.

"Why? Laura seemed really nice."

"Derek, she was flirting with you. So clearly flirting with you, and right in front of me. The woman who's wedding we were talking about."

"She was just trying to be nice Mer. I think she'd do a really good job. Let's just give her a chance okay?"

"Fine," Meredith said, unable to resist Derek's charm.

They headed back to the house for dinner, and to tell Izzie and George all about the place they had found for the wedding.

A/N: I hope you guys liked it!!! I wrote it during school because I felt really bad about not having posted anything. I hope you all haven't deserted me!!!!!!!!! If you haven't, you know what to do…click that little purple button and…REVIEW!!!


	61. Who's Flirting With Derek?

A/N: I was so happy that people are still reading and didn't leave me b/c of my lack of updates. A huge THANKS to everyone!!!! Oh, and keep in mind when reading this chapter that I don't know much of anything about wedding planning so in all of the chapters that have it, I'm just speculating what happens.

Chapter 61: Who's Flirting With Derek?

First the next morning, Meredith decided to call Laura and tell her that she and Derek had decided on her hotel for their wedding. She hoped that once the planning got serious that Laura would stop flirting with Derek and act professional, but she had a nagging feeling that it would continue no matter what. Despite that, Meredith pulled out Laura's card and dialed her number.

"Hotel Monaco. This is Laura Roberts," said the sweet voice.

"Hi Laura. It's Meredith Grey."

"Ms. Grey, how are you?"

"Please, call me Meredith."

"Meredith," she corrected, "How can I help you today?"

"I just wanted to let you know as soon as possible that Derek and I decided that the Monaco is the perfect place for our wedding."

"I'm very glad to hear it."

"So, what's the first step?" Meredith asked.

"Typically, we'll have a meeting with the bride and groom. We'll discuss the different packages we have and the prices and you'll decide what you want to do."

"That sounds good. When do you think we could do that?"

"The earliest appointment available is next Tuesday at 11:30am."

"Great. I'll take that then."

"Okay, well I'm looking forward to seeing you and Dr. Shepherd then," she said emphasizing the Dr. Shepherd.

"Yea, see you then," Meredith said hesitantly.

Meredith hung up the phone just as Izzie walked in, coming home after being on call all night. Izzie noticed that Meredith wasn't exactly happy. She put her bag down and sat down at the table next to her.

"Iz, I need your help."

"Sure. What is it?" Izzie said, grabbing a handful of potato chips.

"What do you think I should do about another woman flirting with Derek?"

"Who's flirting with Derek?" she asked, her mouth full.

"The woman at the hotel who's going to be our wedding planner."

"Wait…you're wedding planner was flirting with Derek?"

"Yeah. Derek was like I'm a neurosurgeon and she was all flirty, batting her fake eyelashes. She wasn't even trying to be subtle about it. It made me want to throw up.

"Seriously? And you're still going to use her?"

"Yeah," Meredith said rolling her eyes, "I didn't want to. We left the hotel and I told Derek we should use someone different but he was being dense and didn't notice. He thought she was being sweet."

"I wouldn't stress yourself out about it Mer. I mean, Derek is so in love with you that he didn't even notice another woman making a pass at him. Doesn't that say something?"

"I guess you're right. Thanks Izzie."

"No problem," Izzie said, getting more food.

Meredith went into the living room to call Derek and tell him about the meeting she had scheduled with the wedding planner next week.

"Dr. Shepherd."

"Hey Derek. It's me."

"Hi Mer. I can't really talk right now."

"Do you at least have a second? Pretty please??" Meredith said sweetly.

"I always have time for you. What's going on?"

"I just wanted to let you know that we have an appointment with McFlirty, our wedding planner."

"McFlirty? That's a new one."

"Yeah, and she can't wait to see you _Dr. Shepherd_," she said, mocking Laura.

"Okay," Derek said while trying not to burst out laughing, "When is it?"

"Tuesday at 11:30."

"I'm supposed to be working until noon that day, but I'll see what I can do."

"Okay…Actually, it might be better if you don't come."

"Why? Did you change your mind about letting me help? Mer, I know I'm not the savviest at these things but…"

Meredith cut him off, "No, its not that at all. If you weren't there then little miss…I'm going to flirt with the groom can't…flirt with the groom."

"You're still upset about that?"

"No so much upset as…furious."

"I wish I could be there with you right now," Derek said.

"Why? Derek, what are you talking about?"

"Because you're so cute when you're angry."

"Okay, you shut up and go do your job so we have money to pay for our wedding because lord knows I don't make enough money as a teacher to…"

"Meredith?" Derek said, stopping her rambling.

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I love you too," she replied.

A/N: Hope you all like this chapter...not very exciting. I don't know exactly where I want to go. If you have any ideas/tips or whatever, let me know. But you should also click that pretty little purple button and…REVIEW!!!!


	62. Any Woman He Wants

A/N: I'm not really liking my writing very much right now. This story seems to be going nowhere even though I know where I want it to go. But, you all seem to like it, so I'll continue. If you get bored, or have any suggestions, let me know.

**Chapter 62: Any Woman He Wants**

On the day before her meeting with Laura, Meredith was sitting on the couch in the living room looking over a list of things about the wedding that she thought were important to bring up during the meeting the next day. They were mostly things that she and Derek ha discussed like kids meals for all of his nieces and nephews, and plenty of room for them to run around without breaking anything. Derek had told Meredith to get the biggest room possible for that reason and to not worry at all about the cost. She was just sitting there, list in hand, staring into space when Cristina walked in.

"Meredith?" Cristina said, sitting on the couch.

Meredith didn't reply. She just kept staring with a worried look on her face.

"Earth to Meredith?" Cristina tried again, this time waving her hand in front of Meredith's face.

"Huh? Oh. Hi Cristina," Meredith said, coming back to reality.

"What's up?" Izzie said cheerfully, coming downstairs and sitting in the living room with the other two girls.

Cristina just ignored Izzie, "What the hell is wrong with you Meredith?"

"Nothing," Meredith said sighing.

"Okay. I've known you long enough to know when you're lying, and you're lying right now. So you can either tell me what's wrong or I'll figure it out myself."

"Jeez Cristina! Be nice! Planning a wedding is stressful," Izzie said.

"Nothings really wrong. It's just…something's not right."

"I don't speak Meredith. English, please," Cristina said, beginning to get annoyed.

"Derek and I. We're getting married," she said without expression, staring at her ring.

"Yeah. That's what the huge diamond on your hand that you're currently staring at usually means," Cristina replied, sarcastically.

"Married. As in forever."

"Okay, seriously Mer. I don't get it. Just tell me what the hell is going on."

"It all seems too perfect."

"I still don't get it," Cristina said, even more bothered this time.

"Yeah, me either," Izzie added, now paying attention to the conversation.

"Derek. He could have anyone he wants. There are always going to be woman, like Laura, throwing themselves at him. I don't know if I can deal that…forever," Meredith explaining, still staring at her ring.

"Oh…now I understand," Cristina said, "Look Mer. You're probably right. Derek could have any woman he wanted."

"Not helping Cristina," Izzie interjected.

Cristina glared at Izzie and continued talking, "But he doesn't want any woman. He wants you. He asked you to marry him and be with him _forever_. And if he does hurt you, I'll kick his little pretty boy ass."

Meredith laughed, but Cristina was absolutely right. She had a sexy, charming and not to mention successful, brain surgeon who looked at her like she was the only woman in the world.

Derek got home from work late that night and crawled into bed quietly so he wouldn't wake Meredith up, not knowing she was actually still awake. He gave her a kiss on the cheek and was about to close his eyes and go to sleep.

"You're home," Meredith said, rolling over to face him in bed.

"You're awake."

"We're both so observant."

"See, I told you we belong together," Derek said, giving Meredith the McDreamy smile that always made her heart melt.

Meredith laughed and gave Derek a deep kiss.

"How was work?" she asked, pulling apart from the kiss.

"Work?"

"Yeah, you know, the job you have where you operate on people's brains."

"Oh, that one! Seriously Mer. You can't kiss me like that and then expect me to answer a question that requires me to actually think."

Meredith smiled at Derek, and he stroked her cheek with his thumb. They just lay there looking at each other until the expression on Derek's face changed.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Izzie told me what happened today."

"I don't want to talk about it," Meredith said, looking away from Derek.

"Mer. Mer, look at me," he said turning her face back to look at him.

"What?" she asked not wanting to look him in the eye.

"Why are you feeling so insecure? You never worried about these things before we got engaged."

"I know. It's just…"

"Laura?"

"Yeah. As much as I hate to admit she's getting to me, she is."

"That's what I thought. Look, you have that appointment with her tomorrow right?"

"Right…" Meredith said, raising her eyebrows.

"How about we play a little game with her?"

"What do you mean?"

"Just play along," Derek said smirking.

"Derek…what are you going to do?"

"You…just…wait," he said in between kisses, beginning to tickle her as she squealed and screamed.

A/N: Hope you liked it. I think it's cute. Don't know what should happen next. Oh…I've been meaning to tell/ask you all this for awhile. I want to write another Grey's fic, but not AU. I'll keep doing this story, don't worry, but I want to do something not AU, so if you have any ideas, please share. In the meantime, read, love, and review!!!!


	63. What's The Occasion?

**Chapter 63: What's The Occasion?**

The next morning around 11 o'clock, Meredith got into her car and headed for the Monaco for her appointment with Laura. She was exhausted and ended up leaving earlier than she had originally planned because Izzie and George were following her around the house, complaining that she and Derek had kept them both up all night. When Meredith got to the hotel, she let the people at the front desk know that she was there, and then went and sat down on a sofa in the lobby to wait. Just as she was about to fall asleep, Laura came up to her.

"Hi Meredith. Sorry I'm a little late."

"Oh, no problem," she said, trying to wake up.

"Where's Dr. Shepherd?" Laura asked looking around the lobby, expecting to see him walk in.

"He's at work. He might be here later," Meredith lied, knowing exactly when he was going to get there.

"Okay. Then, I guess we should get started," Laura said, sounding kind of disappointed.

Meredith followed Laura to her office back near the cocktail and ballrooms. She sat down across from Laura, who was behind a desk. Meredith was filling out a contract when Derek came in. She remembered what he had said the night before about messing with Laura and decided to play along.

"Hi. Sorry I'm late," Derek said coming into the office and closing the door.

"Derek! It's so nice to see you again. You have perfect timing. We were just finishing up all of the _boring _stuff," Laura said, enthusiastically, standing up to greet Derek.

"Yeah. It's nice to see you too," he said, pretty much ignoring her and walking over to Meredith.

"Hi Der," she said, as he came over to her.

Derek leaned over the chair to give Meredith a kiss. She put her arms around his neck and he moved to deepen their kiss. After about 15 seconds, they pulled apart.

"Hello to you too," Derek said, licking his lips as they separated.

They could both tell that Laura was not only jealous, but extremely uncomfortable.

"Let me get you a chair Derek," she said quickly.

"It's okay. Meredith will just sit on my lap," he answered, half-joking half-serious.

Laura let out a nervous laugh, "It's no problem at all. I'll just grab one from the office next door."

Laura rushed out of the office and they could hear her moving chairs around in the room next door. Both Derek and Meredith were trying to keep from bursting out laughing. A few minutes later, Laura returned out of breath but with another chair. They little bit of commotion ended and they continued with the meeting. Laura told them about all of the different wedding packages offered by the hotel and they set a date for a meeting about a week later so they could let her know their decision.

Meredith and Derek walked out into the parking lot together and were about to get into their separate cars and head back to Meredith's house.

"Derek?"

"Yeah?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her tiny waist and pulling her close to him.

Meredith looked up at him and smiled, "I want to cook dinner for you tonight."

"What's the occasion?"

"No occasion. I just thought we could have a nice dinner and talk about wedding stuff."

"Sounds good to me. Need any help?"

"Nope. You go back to your apartment and do manly Derek things and I'll go home and cook and then at 6:30 you come over for dinner."

"Okay. Should I bring my own Pepto-Bismol?" he said teasingly.

"Derek!" she said, playfully slapping his arm, "My cooking isn't _that _bad."

"I know. I'm just kidding. I'll see you tonight."

Derek gave Meredith a kiss and they walked to their respective cars. Meredith was about to get into her car and Derek was still walking she yelled across the parking lot.

"Hey Derek?"

"Yeah?" he replied, turning back around.

"I love you."

A huge grin broke out on his face, "I love you too Mer."

Meredith went home and found the item in the cabinet that was the easiest to make – Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. Izzie had to work and George, despite all of his complaints and unwillingness, was out with his family for the night.

At 6:15, Derek drove up to the house and let himself in with the key that Meredith had made for him. He walked into the kitchen and saw the table set for two, along with two bowls of cheesy pasta, but no Meredith.

"Mer? I'm here," he yelled standing at the base of the stairs.

She came downstairs, hair wet, wearing a black spaghetti strap tank top and a pair of Derek's NYU sweatpants, rolled up several times around the waist and having cut the elastics out of the cuffs of the legs.

"Hi," Meredith said, walking up to him and putting her arms around his neck.

"What did you do to my pants?" he asked, looking down.

"Nothing," she replied with a guilty smile.

Derek just laughed at the look on her face and she took his hand and led him into the kitchen.

"You made us a gourmet meal," he said.

"Shut up. I made what required the least preparation but was also really tasty."

They sat down and enjoyed their dinner together, putting off the wedding talk until after they were done eating.

A/N: So, I realized they didn't play much of a "game" with Laura, but I really couldn't think of anything. Also, not sure that Derek went to NYU, but whatever. In this story, he did. **READ AND REVIEW!!!**


	64. ANOTHER AUTHORS NOTE

AUTHORS NOTE:

I am so incredibly sorry that I haven't updated. I'm having major writers block. Anybody have any ideas?

I'm going out of town this weekend so maybe when I'm on the train I'll write something. I also want to write a new story. Something that is more true to the characters, not an AU, something where I can portray the characters as they are in the show, but a different story, anybody have any ideas on that? Definitely Mer/Der though.

I just watched Lucky 7 with Patrick Dempsey. Sooo adorable. Its like Grey's lol. He goes from Manhattan to Seattle. You should all see it.

And how amazing did everyone look at the Golden Globes? Especially our man, McDreamy.

So, I hope to have more for you all soon…help with out with some ideas!!!


	65. I Gotta Go

A/N: So incredibly sorry about not having any updates. Major writers block. Thanks to my mommy for the idea for the second part of this chapter. Enjoy and I hope you're all still with me!

Chapter 64: I Gotta Go

Derek made Meredith relax in the living room while he cleaned up the dishes from dinner. When he was done, he went into the other room and saw Meredith sitting on the couch watching TV and laughing. He stood in the doorway watching her – nothing made him happier then to see her smiling and happy. And that was a rare occurrence since Laura came into the picture. After a few minutes, Meredith realized that she was being watched. She looked up to see Derek standing in the doorway with a smirk on his face.

"What are you looking at, Dr. Shepherd?" Meredith asked, turning off the television.

"You," he said, walking over and sitting on the couch next to her, "I've decided that we need to do something about the food you eat."

"What? Why? What's wrong with the food I eat?"

"Macaroni and cheese for dinner? Cold pizza for breakfast?"

"So?"

"You need more fruits and vegetables."

"Um, there's vegetables on the pizza. But…can we forget about my nutrition for right now and talk about the wedding like we're supposed to be doing?"

Derek chucked and gave her a kiss on the cheek, "Of course. What about it?"

"Everything," she said, becoming very animated, "Invitations and favors and guest list…and, I've been meaning to ask you, do you want an engagement party?"

"It's all up to you, Mer," he said, leaning over and kissing her neck.

"Ohhh…that's the other thing," she said before she wouldn't be able to stop him or herself.

"Hmmm?" Derek asked, continuing to kiss her.

"No sex."

"What?!?" he said, pulling back and looking at her with his eyebrows raised.

"It's just…some couples wait until they get married to have sex and I thought we should wait until we're married to do it again."

"I don't get it. We've already had sex. Lots of sex. So why wait now?"

"Derek!" she said, stopping him from kissing her again.

"Seriously? You want me to wait to have sex with you for 6 months?"

She smiled a big cheesy smile that always made Derek laugh.

"We'll see about this, soon to be Mrs. Shepherd," he said teasingly.

The next morning, they were sitting at the kitchen table enjoying breakfast. Meredith eating leftovers from the night before, and Derek, as always, having a bowl of muesli. They were talking about making an appointment to see somebody for invitations when the phone rang.

"I'll get it," Meredith said, putting her dish in the sink and then grabbing the phone, "Hello?…Hi Ms. Abbott…My summer is very good…Okay…Seriously?…I'll have to get back to you….Yeah…See you soon."

Derek heard Meredith's voice drop as the conversation continued, but had no idea what was going on, just that Ms. Abbott was the principal at the school that Meredith taught at.

"Mer? What's up?" he asked, as she put the phone down, a shocked look on her face.

"Nothing. I, uh…I gotta go…I'll see you later."

She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and then rushed out the door.

A/N: I know its reallllly short but I wanted to give you guys something. Good cliffhanger? More soon. I promise!!! Especially if you review!!!


	66. We're All Here

A/N: I'm so glad you're all still reading!!! I had a bad day and all of your reviews really cheered me up.

Chapter 65: We're All Here

After hanging up the phone, Meredith rushed out of the house leaving Derek sitting at the table, completely confused as to what was going on. Meredith frantically got into her car and drove as fast as she could, without getting a speeding ticket, to the hospital to talk to Izzie. She signed in at the front desk and headed up to where she knew Izzie would be.

"Iz?" Meredith said, running up to her completely out of breath.

"Meredith? What's going on?" Izzie asked."

"I, um…" she said catching her breath, "I _really _need to talk to you."

"Okay. I'm off, so lets go to the cafeteria and we can talk."

Meredith waited outside of the intern locker room while Izzie changed back into her street clothes and then headed down to the cafeteria. They each got a cup of coffee and then sat down at one of the empty tables.

"So, what's so urgent that you needed to come to the hospital to talk to me about?" Izzied asked, adding sugar into her coffee.

"I got a job offer," Meredith replied.

"A job offer? That's great."

"Yeah. It would be. If it wasn't for Derek."

"Okay. You're not making any sense here Mer. What does Derek have to do with it?"

"The job is in Baltimore."

"Ohhh…" Izzie answered, finally understanding what the issue was.

"Yeah." Meredith said, putting her head down on the table.

"Well your going to turn it down right? I mean, Derek's here. Derek's job is here. George, Cristina and me, we're all here."

"It's not that easy Iz. I love you guys and I love Derek. I'm marrying Derek. But this job…this job is amazing. It's at this private school…I've wanted a job like this since I started teaching and now I have it and I don't know what to do."

"Have you talked to Derek about it?"

"No. I just got the offer this morning while we were eating breakfast. I ran out of the house and didn't even tell him what was going on."

"Mer. You have to tell him," Izzie said seriously.

"I know. But if I tell him, he'll tell me to take the job."

"Why would that be so bad?"

"Because I would either have it and not have him. Or have him there with me. But I know how much he loves his job here. And he'd resent me for making him move," Meredith responded.

"I know one thing for sure Meredith, and that is that Derek could never resent you for anything. So talk to him about it."

"I knew you were going to tell me that," Meredith said getting up and heading out of the cafeteria with Izzie, "I should have talked to Cristina."

"Ha. Very funny. If you had done that all you would have gotten was sarcastic remarks about McDreamy."

"I know. But then I wouldn't have had to deal with what's going on."

They got into their separate cars and headed back to the house so just as Meredith had promised Izzie, she would tell Derek about what was going on. When they got back, Derek was lying on the sofa doing a crossword puzzle. He looked up over his magazine when he saw the door open, and when he saw it was Meredith, he put it down and got up.

"Meredith," he said, enveloping her in a hug.

"It's nice to see you too Derek. But it's only been what? An hour?" she answered, as he squeezed her.

"You ran out of here all worried and so I've been worried about you."

"Talk to him," Izzie whispered in Meredith's ear, before heading into the kitchen for something to eat.

Meredith sighed, "Okay. I have something that I need to tell you," she said leading him back over to the couch.

"Whatever it is Mer, we'll deal with it."

She took a deep breath and finally confessed what was going on.

A/N: Okay, so, I know it's short, but now you all know what happened. I probably won't have more tomorrow because I have to work and Wednesday I think I'm going out after school and won't be home till late, so Thursday is the most likely date for more. But maybe if you're lucky, sooner. Review!!

Oh!!! For those of you who read my "new" story, I think I'm going to delete it because I don't like it. But I REALLY want to write a story more true to the show. If you have any ideas on a meeting between Der and Mer, let me know. You'll definitely get credit!!


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